Live! from the Library is pleased to welcome author Gregory Crouch to discuss his latest book, The Bonanza King: John Mackay and the Battle Over the Greatest Fortune in the American West. Following the program, books will be available for purchase and signing by the author. Sponsored by the Walnut Creek Library Foundation, this program is free and open to the public. RSVPs required. Register online at www.wclibrary.org/live or by phone at 925.935.5395.

Lured by dreams of striking it rich in gold-rush era California, John Mackay left behind his impoverished life in New York City and headed west. But a valuable tip about treasure in neighboring Nevada proved more fortunate. Crouch masterfully recounts a confluence of events involving Mackay’s toil and tenacity mixed with a bit of luck and how it led to the discovery of one of the most valuable caches of gold and silver in the American west.

Crouch is also the author of the true-life World War II flying adventure China’s Wings and the alpine memoir Enduring Patagonia. Among many articles, Crouch has written about a U.S.-Iranian climbing exchange in Iran, cave exploration in Oman, winter mountaineering in Patagonia, and Mount Everest. For five years, he was a Senior Contributing Editor at Climbing, focused on writing personality profiles of famous climbers. Crouch graduated from West Point but left the Army to pursue other interests, mostly in adventure travel, rock and ice climbing, and high-stakes international mountaineering. Along the way, he became a writer. Crouch lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, artist Tina Rath, and his son, Ryan.

Live! from the Library, produced by the Walnut Creek Library Foundation, features free public lectures, literary events, and cultural programs at the Walnut Creek and Ygnacio Valley libraries. Program sponsors are the East Bay Times, Friends of the Walnut Creek Library, and MinutemanPress Lafayette. For more information about this and other Walnut Creek Library Foundation programs, please visit www.wclibrary.org or call 925.935.5395.