John Shertzer Hittell (J.S. Hittell, 25 December 1825 – 8 March 1901) was an American author, historian, and journalist of the United States during the Golden Age of Free Thought. Hittell wrote on a wide variety of topics including history, mining, Christianity, Pantheism, phrenology, morality, and politics. He is best known for his works A History of The City of San Francisco and Incidentally of the State of California (1878) and The Evidences Against Christianity (1856).