Norton I, Emperor of the United States

Dodd, Mead [Published date: 1986]. Hard cover, 234 pp. Stated First Edition [From Back cover] "HERE AT LAST IS A REALLY MARVELOUS BOOK THAT TELLS US MORE THAN THE EMPEROR'S NEXT-DOOR NEIGHBOR, MARK TWAIN HIMSELF, EVER KNEW"* Joshua Abraham Norton, an Englishman who came to San Francisco to seek his fortune during the California Gold Rush of 1849, went from riches to rags to fame. When he lost his wealth in 1860, he lost his reason and proclaimed himself Emperor of the United States, an illusion he maintained for twenty incredible years, during which his "loyal subjects" set out to make the rest of America believe it, too. In time he became a legend known the length and breadth of the land.