The Crusade of the Excelsior vs The story of California: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Westerns, Social life and customs, Fiction

Cover of The Crusade of the Excelsior

The Crusade of the Excelsior Bret Harte · 1887 ★★★★☆ 3.7 250 pages · ≈ 4 h 38 m · Demanding Find on Amazon

vs

Cover of The story of California

The story of California Stewart Edward White · 1927 ★★★★☆ 3.8 437 pages · ≈ 8 h 06 m · Challenging Find on Amazon

The verdict

Ratings are close: 3.7 vs 3.8 — either is a safe pick by score.
The Crusade of the Excelsior is the quicker read — about 4 hours vs 8 for The story of California.
The story of California is the easier read (Challenging), The Crusade of the Excelsior more demanding (Demanding).

Side by side