A Room for the Summer: Adventure, Misadventure, and Seduction in the Mines of the Coeur D'Alene

by Fritz Wolff

Book Overview

In A Room for the Summer, Fritz Wolff takes the reader on a memorable journey into the rough-and-tumble world of hardrock mining, recounting his experiences both above and below ground as an apprentice engineer during the late 1950s.

In June 1956, at the age of eighteen, Wolff went to work for the Bunker Hill Company in Kellogg, Idaho, in the Coeur d'Alene region. Arriving in a tired 1939 Chevy coupe, with about twenty dollars in his pocket,...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0806136588
• ISBN13: 9780806136585
• Release Date: April 2005
• Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press
• Length: 264 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.3" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Great Tale of Coming of Age

I have only one complaint about this book. It says that the hardrock mining industry is all but forgotten. Someone apparently forgot to tell my neighbors who on most days put on their hard hats with headlamps and go down a half mile or so to carve gold ore out of the mountain. No, the world out here (Nevada) isn't quite like that pictured in the book. Then again, it's closer to the book than is life in most cities. He visits Carol who provides him with a "commercial embrace," for $15 for a half hour. I understand (I've of course no personal experience) that the rate is now $200 for a half hour. Other details have changed, but the people are much as he describes, good people, the salt of the earth. An excellent tale of times past when we were all a lot younger.

A friendly tale

There have been attempts over the past 3 decades to humanize the mining business. Fritz's tale, seen through the eyes of a college kid 60 years later, is one of the finest. I know or knew several of the people he describes in his narrative; they'll vouch for his authenticity. Thank-you, Fritz. You have ennobled my friends.

More than a personal memoir.

This is a story that doesn't fit into any typical genre. Its a story about life with a personal memoir and some rich history as the back drop. The author writes in a style that is fresh and engaging. He uses vocabulary and dialogue that, unfortunately, no one encounters any more. This a rich story and a must read.

Nostalgia and Humor

Fritz Wolff has written a humorous memoir of his time spent in Idaho during the glory days of hardrock mining. His prose and story telling are similar to Norman McLean's "A River Runs Through It". A very enjoyable read.

Humor and Enthusiasm Brings Hard Rock Mining to Life

I loved this book. I can't say that mining was a particular interest of mine until the people and process were brought to life by Mr Wolff. Fritz Wolff certainly knows his stuff when it comes to hardrock mining. He lived it as a young man. But what made this book for me, was his self-deprecating sense of humor and his sensitivity in describing the characters he encountered. I strongly reccommend it.