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Solved - Fiction set prior to San Francisco earthquake/fire (1906)

O

oregonjade

New Member
Hello!

I'm looking for the title/author of a book I once owned, and lost in a house fire 10 years ago.

I've tried googling it, and haven't managed to find it. Just can't get the right combo of search words, I suppose.

Book was set beginning a short time before the great San Francisco earthquake/fire in 1906. A boy, his mother, and his sister are poor. They inherit a house or mansion, and a great deal of money from his mother's dad or uncle or grandfather. The boy inherits the library, which he thinks is stupid.

He later finds out the books are worth a great deal of money- many are first editions. One, about people IN san francisco, including the deceased relative and people he knew, has pages ripped out. There was some sort of mystery about that, and perhaps a duel. The boy meets with people about it.

Near the end of the book, the disaster happens. Many of those precious books are left behind while the people are scrambling to survive, and the people end up in the park area.

The copy I had was in paperback form. I first possessed it in the 1980's, and I'd guess it was published in the 70's at the latest, possibly earlier.

Can anyone help? Please?

Thank you.
 
Still looking...

Hello! I'm still looking for this book. I'm thinking it was published earlier then my previous guess, perhaps in the 50's or 60's. I believe the mansion they inherited was either in the Nob Hill or Pacific Heights area... I remember mention, as the boy was evacuating the area, that the next street down (Van Ness or Nuys or something) was burning,
 
oregonjade said:
Hello! I'm still looking for this book. I'm thinking it was published earlier then my previous guess, perhaps in the 50's or 60's. I believe the mansion they inherited was either in the Nob Hill or Pacific Heights area... I remember mention, as the boy was evacuating the area, that the next street down (Van Ness or Nuys or something) was burning,
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Sounds like a good book. Have you read Locked Rooms by Laurie R. King? It isn't your book, but it's a very good book! :)
 
No, I haven't. But I'll add it to my list.

The title of that book may have had the word "hill" in it. I'm pretty sure the book was one I picked up used from goodness knows where... and the cover was dark... perhaps in blacks and reds? Definitely not a full-color cover. And paperback. And I'd say it was from the 50's or 60's. Guessing. I seem to remember looking, that's the darnedst thing.

I just can't grab any of the character's names out of my memory. Which is awful, because usually I think about it like crazy, and then it's like I set my memory on autopilot, and days or weeks or months later, a key phrase pops up. This time, nada.

I do remember that one of the rare editions that the boy had, that he'd gotten from his grandfather's library, was Pickwick Papers. Like remembering the name of a book mentioned in the book helps any, lol.
 
bumping this back up in the hopes that it rings a bell somewhere...

I'm still thinking it was a pre-1970 book, paperback... cover may have been printed in just two or three colors... not the same page size as current adult paperbacks...
 
Bonus points to dragondrool!!! You not only found my ghost girl/pond book, but a quick search on that Bookstumpers website (which I found via the Amazon reviewer on the other book), and I found this book too!!!

That Bookstumpers site sure doesn't want to come up on google searches for places to look for books, either, does it?

It'd be nice to have a sticky for this forum with links to the "really good" sites like that... and that series listing... etc., in addition to the school library one.

And... drumroll please... the book is...

Mystery at Thunderbolt House by Howard Pease, 1944.

And oh my goodness, the price (Amazon) of those paperbacks! Man, I wonder if my old copy might be in some of the salvaged stuff from the house fire. I sure can't afford to grab one of those!

And no, mine did not have the cover showing on Amazon. Am not finding a cover online like mine had... but I think it was an older printing. Definitely had an older-looking cover then the one online.
 
oregonjade said:
Bonus points to dragondrool!!! You not only found my ghost girl/pond book, but a quick search on that Bookstumpers website (which I found via the Amazon reviewer on the other book), and I found this book too!!!

That Bookstumpers site sure doesn't want to come up on google searches for places to look for books, either, does it?

It'd be nice to have a sticky for this forum with links to the "really good" sites like that... and that series listing... etc., in addition to the school library one.

And... drumroll please... the book is...

Mystery at Thunderbolt House by Howard Pease, 1944.

And oh my goodness, the price (Amazon) of those paperbacks! Man, I wonder if my old copy might be in some of the salvaged stuff from the house fire. I sure can't afford to grab one of those!

And no, mine did not have the cover showing on Amazon. Am not finding a cover online like mine had... but I think it was an older printing. Definitely had an older-looking cover then the one online.
Click to expand...

Sometimes their recommended sellers have less expensive copies than Amazon carries.
 
Oregonjade, THANK YOU SO MUCH. I cannot believe you actually had the title of this book in your posting. "Mystery at Thunderbolt House by Howard Pease, 1944." I read this so long ago (probably in the 60s or 70s). It was one of those books you could buy from school in a bookclub. I don't know why the storyline kept coming back to me, haunting me!!! The only thing I could remember was "something about a boy and San Franciso fire". When I read your description in your original post in search of the book I knew it had to be the SAME BOOK! I had no idea that I would actually learn the title as I scrolled down the page. Thanks to you and "Dragondroll." How the heck did they know???
 
I don't know if you still read this post... I just found it. I'd like to recommend another great, older book, about the San Francisco earthquake. Trembling Hills by Phyllis Whitney. I read it in the early 60's and loved it. I had one heck of a time trying to remember the title so I could try and find the book again.
 
katcay said:
I don't know if you still read this post... I just found it. I'd like to recommend another great, older book, about the San Francisco earthquake. Trembling Hills by Phyllis Whitney. I read it in the early 60's and loved it. I had one heck of a time trying to remember the title so I could try and find the book again.
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Thank you! I will try to find Trembling Hills. I think I would enjoy it.
 
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