ORB Samizdat #1

Every month going forward, paid ORB subscribers will receive a digital version of a special out-of-print document of interest to Oaklanders, along with a brief exegetical introduction written by an ORB editor. Become a paid member of ORB to see the whole thing (and to receive future Samizdat posts, not to mention some merch).

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September’s document is: Oakland, California, a beautiful promotional booklet issued by the Oakland Chamber of Commerce (and published by Sunset Magazine) around 1911 or 1912. You can download the full file and read along at the link provided at the bottom of the page.

The author speaks of Oakland in historical terms, jumping scale between the mundane and the grandiose like an epic Russian novel: “The completion of the Panama Canal, uniting the two great oceans,” they open, “will change the currents of trade, transform the commercial geography of the globe, and confirm Oakland as the logical port and point of contact between overland railroads and ocean carriers.” They really don’t make city boosters like this anymore, with prose that sounds more like Steinbeck or Tolstoy than Neill Sullivan. Or maybe the better comparison is Gertrude Stein: The authors’ extensive list of Oakland-made products (“Valves, vermicelli, vinegar,” “Jail works, jams, jellies,” or “Burial materials, burlap, butter”) almost has the flavor of Tender Buttons.