A fun lesson in history of Washington State and Seattle. Informal style and humorous theme enhance the story about Seattle's founder. A drunk, a doctor, a lawyer, a philanthropist, a politician, a bigamist, and a scoundrel--he turned a hilly, sopping wet timber stand into the city it is today. All in five years or so from 1850-55. If you don't like history, you'll still like this book. The stories relate to real places and even though it was written decades ago, they still exist. I especially liked the story about doctoring to Arthur Denny with opium based laudanum and then making him sign over the rights to most of what is now downtown Seattle. Or...how he left his wife in Cleveland, trekked across the plains heading for the California gold fields, fell in love with another woman and followed her to Seattle...created it in the image of Cleveland. :-) Doc Maynard is a colorful character and Spiedel tells it like it is. ( )

A breezy, informal bio of one of the biggest movers and shakers of early Seattle. Part philanthropist, part robber baron, Doc Maynard comes across as a very complex man in a time when there were few brakes on what a man could accomplish if he had the will and the nerve. And sometimes, Doc had a lot of nerve! ( )