Denver: Mining Camp to Metropolis

Published in 1990, this book functions as a dense introduction to the full span of Denver history -- from the town's beginnings as a provider of goods and services to miners leaving for the mountains, to its rise as a transportation and medical hub of the Plains, to its recent oil and high-tech booms. The book is thoughtful and intelligent (and basically the only solid semi-recent book I can find about Denver). The ten years since the book was published have seen immense change in Denver (economic revival, massive suburban growth), however, and the volume sorely needs a discussion of how the recent decade's events and growth have changed the metropolitan area.