Though born in Albany, New York, American author Francis Bret Harte went on to become one of the foremost chroniclers of pioneer life in the American West, with a particular focus on California. A Phyllis of the Sierras highlights Harte at his gritty, authentic best.

Bret Harte (August 25, 1836 – May 5, 1902) was an American short story writer and poet, best remembered for his short fiction featuring miners, gamblers, and other romantic figures of the California Gold Rush. In a career spanning more than four decades, he wrote poetry, fiction, plays, lectures, book reviews, editorials, and magazine sketches in addition to fiction. As he moved from California to the eastern U.S. to Europe, he incorporated new subjects and characters into his stories, but his Gold Rush tales have been most often reprinted, adapted, and admired.