His family was in the steel business, and young J.S. 'His death is a real loss.' Holliday was born Jaquelin Smith Holliday II, June 10, 1924, in Indianapolis. 'I am a huge fan.' 'He was a towering figure in California history,' said Gary Kurutz, principal librarian for special collections at the California State Library. 'No one writes better about California's irresistible past,' said Ken Burns, the television documentary expert. He also lectured, appeared on television and wrote articles on history. Kevin Starr, another noted historian of the West, called 'The World Rushed In' 'a classic.' If it were only for the one book, Holliday's reputation as a historian would be secure, but he was also the founding director of the Oakland Museum of California and executive director emeritus of the California Historical Society, taught history at San Francisco State University, and served for a time as assistant director of the Bancroft Library at UC Berkeley. Holliday was the author of 'The World Rushed In,' a history of the California Gold Rush that was a best-seller when it was published in 1981 it went through 13 printings, and a new edition was reissued recently by the University of Oklahoma Press. He had been suffering from pulmonary fibrosis. Holliday, one of the most eminent historians of California and the West, died at his home in Carmel on Thursday at the age of 82.

The World Rushed In by J.S. Holliday