The definitive biography of Ôthe father of California viticulture'. Agoston Haraszthy (1812-1869) is one of the most fascinating figures in the history of American agriculture. Apart from his pioneer efforts to establish a world-class wine industry in Calif., he was the first Hungarian to permanently settle in the U.S., & owner & operator of the first steamboat to engage in regularly scheduled traffic on the upper Mississippi River. Lured by the discovery of gold to cross the plains to Calif. in 1849, Haraszthy became the first sheriff of San Diego, & the first assayer of the U.

S. Mint in San Francisco. In 1856 he moved to N. Calif.'s Sonoma Valley, where he built the first wineries in Calif. & introduced more than 300 varieties of European grapes. Illus.