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Catalogue 256 Western Americana |
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Section VI: O'Sullivan to Szwedzicki |
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Papers
on Book Collecting by William S. Reese
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Stereo Cards by Timothy O’Sullivan 144. O’Sullivan, Timothy, and William Bell: [SET OF FIFTY STEREOSCOPIC VIEWS, TAKEN ON THE 1871-74 EXPEDITIONS OF THE WHEELER SURVEY]. Washington. [1873-1874]. Fifty mounted stereo photographic cards, each card measuring 4 x 7 inches. All cards in excellent original condition. Housed in original cloth box, gilt title on lid. Box neatly repaired at upper hinge. In a cloth clamshell box, leather label. A fine series of stereoscopic views from Lieut. George Wheeler’s 1871-74 expedition in the West, one of the first systematic surveys of the north rim of the Grand Canyon. The expedition was a large-scale government topographical and geological survey of the region west of the 100th meridian, including Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Idaho. These photographs, taken by the expedition photographer, Timothy O’Sullivan, and his interim replacement, William Bell, are numbered 1 to 50 on the rear of the mounts, which also bear captions identifying the scenes. The series begins with an image of the starting point for O’Sullivan’s photographic work on the expedition, aboard small boats about to ascend the Colorado from Camp Mohave, Arizona, and continues more or less chronologically. The photographic crew set their own pace, on a boat named Picture. Included here are photographs of the Grand Canyon, New Mexico pueblos, Zuni villages, Navahos, Apaches, and many beautiful landscapes by these two major American photographers of the West. In 1872, O’Sullivan left the Wheeler survey to work for Clarence King’s 40th Parallel Exploration; but he returned in 1873 to accompany Wheeler in Arizona, New Mexico, the Sierra Blanca Mountains, and Canyon de Chelly. During O’Sullivan’s absence, a British-born photographer named William Bell served as his replacement. Late in 1873, O’Sullivan did his last work in the West, photographing Shoshone Falls on the Snake River (in southern Idaho). The last seventeen views here, though dated 1874, must be from 1873, since O’Sullivan had by then apparently returned east. This is a complete series of fifty stereoscopic views issued to display and promote the government sponsored topographical survey of the West. Such complete series are seldom met with these days. A detailed list of the photographs is available upon request. William Kittredge, "We Are What We See: Photography and the Wheeler Survey Party" in Perpetual Mirage. Photographic Narratives of the Desert West (New York, 1996), pp.63-67. George M. Wheeler’s Photographic Survey of the American West, 1871-1873 (New York: Dover Publications, 1983). $15,000. Early Oregon Laws and Imprint 145. [Oregon]: STATUTES OF A GENERAL NATURE PASSED BY THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF THE TERRITORY OF OREGON.... Oregon City. 1851. 301pp. Antique style three-quarter calf and marbled boards. Some toning and foxing throughout. Very good. This volume is known as the Hamilton Code, after its compiler, Edward Hamilton, and represents the first comprehensive volume of laws of Oregon Territory, issued during the second session of the Territorial Legislature. The laws were mostly written by Judge Matthew Deady, but compiled by Hamilton, whom President Zachary Taylor had appointed as Oregon’s territorial governor. Despite the imprint, the work was printed in New York and shipped to Oregon (see Belknap for the whole story). An important early western legal code. BELKNAP 44. $1500. A Folk Painting of Portland, Oregon 146. [Oregon]: [Anonymous]: [PORTLAND, OREGON]. [ca. 1880]. Oil on canvas, 18 x 24 inches. Unsigned. Titled and dated (ca. 1850) on Kennedy Galleries labels. Provenance: Kennedy Galleries; Collection of Edward Eberstadt & Sons. Expertly conserved: relined, short tear in sky neatly repaired and inpainted; otherwise in excellent displayable condition, brightly colored and nicely varnished. Period-style softly gilt American exhibition frame. A charming American folk painting depicting life on a bright, sunny day in the forested foothills above Portland, Oregon at the time of its first settlement. The picture shows a newly constructed two-story house (or possibly an inn) on a wide dirt roadway, a mounted rider leading a draft horse, a well dressed man and woman walking toward the building, and an idler lounging on the side of the road. Plainly visible in the near distance, at the point called "The Clearing" in early maps of the area, and straddling both banks of the Willamette River, are the buildings of the nascent city of Portland. Mount Hood and the Cascade Mountain Range rise in the background. Professional artists were scarce in the early days of Portland, first settled in 1845. The graphic record is predominately based on government surveys. This beautiful picture, probably made in the late 19th century – Kennedy Galleries thought it was done possibly as early as 1850 – by a talented folk artist, is a handsome representation of early Portland, accurately depicting the topography and beginnings of the city. William H. Gerdts, Art Across America: The Plains States and the West (New York, London, Paris: Abbeville Press, 1990), pp.183-98. $5000. Looking to Oregon from Ohio 147. [Oregon Territory]: PROCEEDINGS OF THE OREGON CONVENTION, HELD IN CINCINNATI ON THE THIRD, FOURTH AND FIFTH DAYS OF JULY, 1843. [Contained in:] JOURNAL OF THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF OHIO; BEING THE FIRST SESSION OF THE FORTY-SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY. VOL. XLII. Columbus: Samuel Medary, 1843. 45pp. as appendix in extensive Assembly journal volume. Gathered signatures, stitched. Some light soiling in foremargin of titlepage, else a fine copy in original state, untrimmed and mostly unopened. In a folding cloth box. This pioneering convention to promote American interests in the Oregon Country took place in Cincinnati in the fall of 1843. It is here printed as an appendix to the Ohio Senate journal for 1843. Its main objective was to call for the immediate occupation of Oregon Territory by the arms and laws of the United States and demand the government oppose British claims. The convention took place as the first significant American migration to Oregon was crossing the Plains on the Oregon Trail, and took a hard line. "Duty to ourselves requires that we should urge the immediate occupation of Oregon, not only for the increase and extension of the West, but for the security of our peace and safety, perpetually threatened by the savage tribes of the Northwest...That however indignant at the avarice, pride and ambition of Great Britain, so frequently, lawlessly, and so lately evinced, she should be checked in her career of Aggression with Impunity and Dominion Without Right." The members of the convention also stressed that the U.S. should not negotiate with Great Britain about giving up any of Oregon Territory. They invoked the Monroe Doctrine of 1823 and stated "...that the American continents were not thenceforth to be considered subjects for future colonization by any foreign powers." An important document for the Oregon question, described by Graff as "one of the more prominent evidences of agitation over the boundary or Oregon with Canada." For a related title, see Wagner-Camp 93. GRAFF 3124. $1850. Across the Plains 148. [Overland Journal]: Grover, Joel: [ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT JOURNAL KEPT BY JOEL GROVER DURING AN OVERLAND JOURNEY WITH THREE OTHERS ALONG THE PLATTE RIVER ROAD FROM CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA TOWARD CALIFORNIA IN THE SUMMER OF 1851]. Cedar Rapids, Iowa; various points along the Platte River Road through Nebraska and Wyoming; Fort Laramie, and other places. May 9 – July 15, 1851. [8]pp. manuscript on ruled folio sheets bound into original pink printed wrappers, about 3,300 words total. Also included in the collection are manuscripts describing Grover’s activities as a scout in Kansas in 1844, a contract for an overland journey from Cedar Rapids to Oregon in 1853, a manuscript map of the area around Fort Leavenworth, and manuscript lists of supplies and men. Journal leaves a bit wrinkled, but generally neat and quite legible. Other manuscripts a bit edgeworn, but on the whole the collection is in very good condition. In a cloth clamshell case, leather label. A detailed and apparently unrecorded Platte River Road narrative, describing the journey of Joel Grover and three companions from Cedar Rapids, Iowa west toward California in the summer of 1851. Grover kept his journal over a period of more than two months, recording his travels and impressions of the route along the Platte to western Wyoming. He gives descriptions of the prairie and the land they crossed, discusses the other emigrants they encountered, describes several difficult river crossings, gives the location of good and poor areas for making camp, and gives a lively account of the arduous journey. This journal is not recorded by Merrill Mattes in his Platte River Road Narratives, nor does Mattes note an account by any of Grover’s three travelling companions. Grover, along with his companions, John Coleman, Lewis Sisley, and Abner Geddings (and a number of livestock), departed from Cedar Rapids on May 9, 1851 and travelled fifteen miles before camping for the night. In the first days of their journey they met up with some travellers from Wisconsin and encountered a man who had just been accidentally shot by a woman mishandling a pistol. On their fifth day out they passed through Newton, Iowa, and they crossed the Snake River the following day. On May 15 the party passed a herd of cattle being driven from Ohio to California, and Grover’s companions visited a saloon where they "got some whisky, felt well when they came back." The next day they reached "Fort Demoine" and crossed the Des Moines River and weathered a violent storm that passed through as they camped. The group generally struck their tents at 7 a.m. (but at times began their day as early as 5 or 6 a.m.), travelling between fifteen and twenty miles each day. Grover reached Council Bluffs on May 26, which he observes as a "great business place," and where he saw a large number of other people bound for California. On May 31 they crossed the Missouri River on a flatboat and weathered a tremendous storm later that night. Two days later Grover and his party had just built a bridge to cross a creek when "a Mormon train of 24 wagons of emigres from Europe came up & took possession of the bridge, crossed over & camped on the height of land 1/2 mile from the creek." A few days later they reached the Platte River in Nebraska, where they met a widow with a large family who had started for California but who decided to turn back when her wagon broke. For much of the next forty days they travelled along the Platte River, encountering wagon trains and other emigrants along the popular route. Grover recounts an exceptionally difficult crossing at Wood River, which he describes as forty feet wide with muddy banks. He goes on to give details of their travels, including going for a swim in the Platte and burning buffalo chips for fire on the barren prairie. By late June, Grover reached Chimney Rock in western Nebraska, which he identifies as a "sand rock with a large no. of names carved thereon." The journal entry for July 2 describes their early days in Wyoming: "Struck tent at 7am. Travelled along Platte River. Good road. Passed a trader’s hut in A.M. passed Rawhide Creek in P.M. Camped near Platte River about 10 miles below Fort Laramie. Not very good grass but wood & water plenty." On the Fourth of July, Grover visited Fort Laramie and offers the following description: "Fort Laramie is situated at the junction of Laramie & Platte rivers. It contains a number of respectable buildings, one store, & some government buildings. The teams travelled 8 miles & camped on the bank Platte River. Good camping, plenty of wood & grass." The next day Grover and his companions remained in camp, where they "killed a buffalo, cut it up & dried it." On July 13, Grover relates a mishap in which a member of his party lost his boots while swimming in the Platte, and the men had trouble getting their cattle across the river. By the next day, somewhere in western Wyoming, Grover estimates that he and his companions had travelled about 650 miles along the Platte River Road. On July 15, the date of the final entry in the journal, Grover writes that he and his party have left the Platte road and crossed to the "old road," which is described as a "good road to Clear Creek." It is not known how much further Grover and his group travelled. The other material in the collection includes a manuscript contract drawn up between Grover, Sisley, and Coleman in Cedar Rapids on May 9, 1853 for an overland journey to Oregon, explaining that the costs and expenses of the trip are to be divided in three equal portions; a brief manuscript order dated Oct. 15, 1844 instructing Grover to scout the country south and east of Lawrence, Kansas; a brief note dated Feb. 11, 1852 from Grover to James Kelsey in Cedar Rapids regarding Grover’s plans to make improvements on some of his own land; two manuscript lists of provisions and their costs; and a three-page manuscript list of names and places from the mid-1850s. The verso of one of the lists of provisions contains a manuscript map in pencil showing the area around Leavenworth, Kansas, with rivers identified. A valuable, previously unknown account of a journey along one of the most important routes to the West. $7500. 149. [Page, Frederic B.]: PRAIRIEDOM: RAMBLES AND SCRAMBLES IN TEXAS OR NEW ESTREMADURA. By a Suthron. New York. 1845. [2],vi,[11]-166pp. plus folding map and 18pp. publisher’s advertisement. 12mo. Publisher’s cloth. Spine slightly nicked near tail, small portion of cloth on lower front board stained, but a nice, tight, very good copy. An account of Page’s travels, undertaken in the spring of 1839, from the Sabine via Nacogdoches, Houston, and Bastrop to San Antonio, returning to Houston by way of Texana and Goliad. "[This account] brings back to us now in a charming fashion the Texas of 1839" – Streeter. Dr. Page was a graduate of Harvard Medical School. HOWES P9, "aa." STREETER TEXAS 1604 (note). RAINES, p.167. RADER 2568 (1st ed). CLARK III:221. SABIN 93969. GRAFF 3159. $3500. In Original Wrappers 150. Palmer, Joel: JOURNAL OF TRAVELS OVER THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS, TO THE MOUTH OF THE COLUMBIA RIVER; MADE DURING THE YEARS 1845 AND 1846.... Cincinnati. 1847. 189pp. Original printed brown wrappers. Wrappers chipped at spine ends and corners, and a bit soiled. Scattered foxing in the first half of the text, but overall a very good copy, in original condition. In a half morocco and cloth clamshell box, spine gilt. First edition, second issue, with corrections made on pages 31 and 121 and without the errata slip tipped in at page 189. The tide of overland immigration which engulfed Oregon in 1843 was followed by even larger waves in subsequent years. The overland migration of 1845 was one of the largest, and it produced one of the most complete accounts of wagon trail life, this work by Joel Palmer. His journal is the only contemporary account by a participant in the 1845 migration, which numbered some three thousand persons and more than doubled the white population of Oregon. "Most reliable of the early guides to Oregon; in addition, the best narrative by a participant in the overland migration of 1845, which more than doubled the population of Oregon" – Howes, who affords this issue a "c." Also included in the work is a letter from Rev. Spalding about his missionary work among the Nez Perce, a vocabulary of the Chinook Jargon and the Nez Perce language, a description of Mount Hood, and what Streeter describes as one of the earliest printings of the Organic Laws of Oregon Territory. HOWES P47, "c." WAGNER-CAMP 136:2. STREETER SALE 3146 (1st issue). GRAFF 3172. HILL 1287. FIELD 1165. SMITH 7886. PILLING, PROOF-SHEETS 2286. PILLING, CHINOOKAN, p.57. AYER (CHINOOK) 48. $12,500. 151. Parker, William B.: NOTES TAKEN DURING THE EXPEDITION COMMANDED BY CAPT. R.B. MARCY, U.S.A., THROUGH UNEXPLORED TEXAS, IN THE SUMMER AND FALL OF 1854. Philadelphia. 1856. xii,[9]-242pp. plus ads. Original publisher’s cloth, spine gilt. Backstrip expertly repaired at spine ends, cloth lightly spotted. Contemporary ownership signatures on front endpapers. A few internal fox marks, but overall quite clean. A very good copy. "This expedition, led by Captain Randolph Marcy, included Dr. G.G. Shumard of Fort Smith and William B. Parker, a friend of Captain Marcy and the author of these Notes. The party left Fort Smith on June 1, 1854, with the object of locating land for an Indian reserve in northwest Texas. They traveled by way of Fort Washita to the Little Washita River and to the headwaters of the Brazos River, where they surveyed a site on Clear Fork. They returned to Fort Smith on October 15" – Wagner-Camp. "...The author has given us a volume crowded with the most interesting details of personal intercourse with the Indian tribes of the southern prairies" – Field. HOWES P91, "aa." WAGNER-CAMP 279. STREETER SALE 397. FIELD 1174. GRAFF 3195. RAINES, p.162. $1500. An Overland Classic 152. Parkman, Francis, Jr.: THE CALIFORNIA AND OREGON TRAIL: BEING SKETCHES OF PRAIRIE AND ROCKY MOUNTAIN LIFE. New York. 1849. 448pp. Illustrated half title. Frontispiece. Modern three-quarter calf and marbled boards, leather label. Light scattered foxing, else very good. Third printing of the first edition, with added imprint and "See page 290" added to the lower right corner of the frontispiece. This copy does not contain the advertisements sometimes found with this issue. This printing was issued in late April 1849 and consisted of 1000 copies. One of the classics of western travel literature, Parkman’s work may be the most familiar piece of western travel writing to modern readers. The exciting adventures of the young Boston Brahmin loose on the plains makes excellent reading. Field remarks: "Mr. Parkman had all the genuine love of adventure of a frontiersman, the taste for the picturesque and romantic of an artist, and the skill in narration of an accomplished raconteur. It is not too high praise to say that his pictures of savage life are not excelled...." WAGNER-CAMP 170:1c. BAL 15446. COWAN, p.474. GRAFF 3201. HOWES P97, "aa." RADER 2608. RITTENHOUSE 450. HOLLIDAY SALE 853. LARNED 2062. FIELD 1177. FLAKE 3277. GROLIER 100, 58. STREETER SALE 1815, 1816. $1500. 153. Pelzer, Louis: [ORIGINAL CORRECTED TYPESCRIPT OF The Cattlemen’s Frontier A Record of the trans-Mississippi cattle industry from oxen trains to pooling companies, 1850-1900]. [Glendale: Arthur H. Clark Company, 1936]. 316 numbered pages (various paginations), plus seven photographs of illustrations, prepared for reproduction, seven additional unused photographs of illustrations, printed list of illustrations (1p.), and printed appendix ([1],59,ii pp.). Original typescript with editorial, authorial [?], and printer’s manuscript notations throughout, in pen, pencil, and colored pencil. Typescript leaves typed and inscribed on recto only. Seven photographs used in final publication retouched and annotated for reproduction, with notes in pencil on verso. Dbd. Expected light wear. Very good. Printed copy of appendix is fine. The final corrected typescript for an important history of cattle-raising on the Plains, 1850-1900, complete with images used in final publication and additional, unused images. Also with a disbound copy of the appendix, a complete facsimile reproduction of the 1882 Wyoming brand book. CLARK & BRUNET 183. SIX SCORE 87. $1000. First Book: 154. Pike, Albert: PROSE SKETCHES AND POEMS, WRITTEN IN THE WESTERN COUNTRY. Boston. 1834. 200pp. 12mo. Original cloth, spine gilt. Spine ends bumped and worn, small pieces of spine chipped. Corners bumped, boards slightly stained. A good copy. In a half morocco and cloth box. First edition of the author’s first book, printing what has been generally accorded the honor of being the first printed account of a trip across the Texas Panhandle: the journey of Pike and his friend, Aaron B. Lewis. Lewis started from Fort Towson after spending a wretched winter on the Canadian River. The following summer he trapped in the Colorado Mountains. Pike joined him for the return trip in the fall, down the Pecos and across to one of the headwaters of the Brazos, and from thence northeast to Red River and Fort Smith. The overland narrative occupies pages 9-80. The remainder of the book is comprised of poetic and prose renderings of life in the Southwest, written chiefly while Pike was resident in Santa Fe and Arkansas Territory. He later distinguished himself in the Mexican War, superintended the Indian Territory for the Confederates during the Civil War, and dabbled in the law and Masonry in later years. While his overland journey has always been the chief interest of this book, one should not ignore its literary merits. The DAB states that Pike "had imagination and skill in versification...Some of his poems have a lusty vigor, and of the different versions of ‘Dixie’ his is perhaps the best." WAGNER-CAMP 50. STREETER TEXAS 1150. CLARK III:88. WRIGHT I:2045. FIELD 1219. RADER 2670. VANDALE 132. GRAFF 3285. BAL 16031. HOWES P365. RITTENHOUSE 466. $3500. Compensating Zebulon Pike 155. [Pike, Zebulon]: REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE APPOINTED THE TWENTY SECOND ULTIMO, TO INQUIRE IF ANY, AND WHAT COMPENSATION OUGHT TO BE MADE TO CAPTAIN PIKE AND HIS COMPANIONS, FOR THEIR SERVICES IN EXPLORING THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER, AND OF THE OSAGE, ARKENSAW, AND LA PLATE RIVERS, TOGETHER WITH THEIR TOUR THROUGH NEW SPAIN. Washington: A. & G. Way, 1808. 3,[1]pp. Dbd. Minor age-toning and dampstaining. A very good copy. A report made on March 9, 1808 regarding if and how to compensate Zebulon Pike for his explorations of the Mississippi River. The document prints a letter of praise from Henry Dearborn to Pike congratulating him on his endeavors, and includes the curious mention of one Joseph Ballenger. Ballenger was a sometime companion of Pike who left the expedition to pursue a "Spanish project," but the committee purposefully omits who hired Ballenger and what his task was. Given that Gen. Wilkinson had written Pike’s instructions himself, and given Wilkinson’s association with Aaron Burr’s own Spanish project, Ballenger’s errand into the wilderness is doubly suspect. An attractive Pike item, and quite rare. GOODSPEED 417-432. BRAISLIN 1472. SHAW & SHOEMAKER 16557. $2500. First Government Exploration 156. Pike, Zebulon M.: AN ACCOUNT OF EXPEDITIONS TO THE SOURCES OF THE MISSISSIPPI, AND THROUGH THE WESTERN PARTS OF LOUISIANA, TO THE SOURCES OF THE ARKANSAW, KANS, LA PLATTE, AND PIERRE JAUN, RIVERS...DURING THE YEARS 1805, 1806, AND 1807. AND A TOUR THROUGH THE INTERIOR PARTS OF NEW SPAIN... IN THE YEAR 1807. Philadelphia: Printed by John Binns, published by C. & A. Conrad, & Co. of Philadelphia, Somervell & Conrad of Petersborough. Bonsal, Conrad, & Co. of Norfolk, and Fielding Lucas Jr. of Baltimore, 1810. One volume bound in two (text: octavo signed in 4s [8 3/8 x 5 inches]; atlas of maps and tables: quarto [10 3/8 x 8 inches]). Text: stipple-engraved portrait frontispiece of Pike by Edwin. Atlas: six engraved maps (five folding), three folding letterpress tables. Bound to style in half calf, preserving original marbled paper boards. Very good. An excellent copy of the "best issue" (Howes) of one of the most important of all American travel narratives: the first edition of the report of the first United States government expedition to the Southwest, including an account of Pike’s exploration of the headwaters of the Arkansas and Red rivers, the sources of the Mississippi River, and the Spanish settlements in New Mexico. Pike’s narrative stands with those of Lewis and Clark and Long as among the most important early books on western exploration and as a cornerstone of Western Americana. "In 1805, Pike was given the difficult assignment of conducting a reconnaissance of the upper Mississippi region. He was ordered to explore the headwaters of that river, to purchase sites from the Indians for further military posts, and to bring a few influential chiefs back to St. Louis for talks. The trip was only moderately successful as a mission to the tribes, but Pike was able to convey important geographical information to President Jefferson and other Washington officials. On Pike’s second expedition, 1806-1807, he was assigned to explore the head-waters of the Arkansas River, then proceed south and descend the Red River from its source...Pike and his men were taken into custody by a Spanish patrol, and Pike was able to observe many areas in New Mexico, Chihuahua, and Texas...His book created interest in the Southwest and stimulated the expansionist movement in Texas" – Hill. The maps were the first to exhibit a geographic knowledge of the Southwest based on firsthand exploration and are considered "milestones in the mapping of the American West" (Wheat). "The description of Texas is excellent" – Streeter, Texas. This work was published in two forms: as a single octavo volume with all the maps and tables bound in or, as here, in two volumes with the maps and folding tables in a quarto volume. This latter form was recognized by Howes as being the "best issue" – it is certainly the most usable. HOWES P373, "b." WAGNER-CAMP 9:1. STREETER SALE 3125. WHEAT TRANSMISSISSIPPI 297, 298, 299. GRAFF 3290. FIELD 1217. STREETER TEXAS 1047C. HILL 1357. BRADFORD 4415. RITTENHOUSE 467. SABIN 62936. JONES 743. BRAISLIN 1474. $30,000. 157. [Pike, Zebulon M.]: Coues, Elliott, ed: THE EXPEDITIONS OF ZEBULON MONTGOMERY PIKE, TO HEADWATERS OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER, THROUGH LOUISIANA TERRITORY, AND IN NEW SPAIN, DURING THE YEARS 1805-6-7.... New York. 1895. Three volumes, totaling 955pp. Plates. Maps (some folding). Original green cloth, gilt-lettered spines. Cloth of first volume lightly scuffed. A very good, tight set. With the bookplate of noted Western Americana collector Wallace Schutz on the front pastedown of the first volume. From an edition limited to 1150 copies, printed on fine book paper. "A new edition, now first reprinted in full from the original of 1810, with copious critical commentary, memoir of Pike, new map and other illustrations, and complete index." Noted by Howes as the "best edition." HOWES P373. $1000. Including Important Material 158. Revillagigedo, Count of: Juan Vicente Guemes y Horcasitas: EXTRACTO DE LA INSTRUCCION DEL EXMO. SEÑOR VIRREY, CONDE DE REVILLAGIGEDO [caption title] a.k.a. INSTRUCCION RESERVADA QUE EL CONDE DE REVILLA GIGEDO DIO A SU SUCESOR EN EL MANDO, MARQUES DE BRANCIFORTE SOBRE EL GOBIERNO DE ESTE CONTINENTE EN EL TIEMPO QUE FUE SU VIRREY. Mexico. 1794. [695]pp. of manuscript text in Spanish in a neat secretarial hand. Dated on final leaf: "Mexico 30 de Junio de 1794." Folio. Contemporary vellum, leather ties. High quality paper of the period, all leaves crisp and perfect. Inner hinges separated, but holding by strong cords. Slight gnawing at lower foredge of front board. Overall, in fine condition. The present extensive manuscript volume is an overview or status report of the Conde de Revillagigedo’s accomplishments as viceroy of New Spain, prepared when he left office in 1794. Intended to instruct Revillagigedo’s successor, the Marqués de Branciforte, these Instrucciones include important reports and recommendations concerning Spain’s Pacific coastal possessions, including Alta California and the Northwest Coast, encompassing present-day Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and Alaska. Viceroy Juan Vicente Guemes y Horcasitas, Count of Revillagigédo, governed New Spain from 1789 to 1794, an important period in the history of exploration and settlement of the North Pacific. It was during Revillagigedo’s government that Spain was attempting to assert sovereignty over the Pacific Northwest by sponsoring several expeditions to the region. The viceroy was keenly aware of the vulnerability of Spain’s Pacific possessions, and herein summarizes what should be done to protect the northern lands from foreigners. For example, he points out the need to strengthen defenses at the California ports of Monterrey, San Diego, and San Francisco as well as Ezeta (Eceta) at the entrance of the Columbia River, and warns of foreign incursions: "Donde se necesita poner alguna regular defensa construyendo proporcionadas Baterias en los Puertos de Monte Rey, San Diego, S. Francisco Bodega, la entrada de Ezeta, o Rio de la Columbia, si se quiere por alli atajar los intentos de las Naciones que pueden pensar en establecerse..." – paragraph 701. Paragraph 703 cites the increasing importance of San Blas as a supply and troop depot for the protection of "la costa Septentrional de Californias" as various nations extend their reach in the Pacific: "actualmente desde que han empezado a ser frecuentados aquellos mares por varias naciones, ya se le debe mirar como un punto de la mayor importancia para mantenernos en la debida posesion de los distantes y preciosos terrenos que pertenecen a S. M. por aquella parte...." He lists the ships currently at San Blas: "Los Buques que alli hay son las fragatas Concepcion, Princesa y Aransazu el Vaquebo, San Carlos, el vergantin, o goleta Activa, las tres goletas Sutil, Mexicana, y Valdes, y la Valandra Horcasitas. Los quatro ultimos Buques son aproposito para exploraciones, y no admiten Artilleria...." He continues by suggesting the advantages of Acapulco over San Blas as an alternative Pacific port, citing its better climate and proximity to Mexico City. He further suggests a sort of patrol of the Pacific coast: "Las Goletas podrian entrar en movimiento continuo recorriendo las Costas de Norte y Sur." Revillagigedo makes several references to the Nootka Convention signed in October 1790 between Spain and England (see paragraph 562). He points to the need for a Spanish military presence at San Francisco, Bucareli (Alaska), and Nootka, at the very least stationing a ship at these places to assert Spanish sovereignty in the region. Aunque se halla a alguna mayor distancia de los Presidios, y de las posesiones de Notka hay tambien algunos ventajas en la comodidad de la salida que facilitan tomar mayor alaira y por consiguiente recompensar aquel inconveniente; fuera de que siempre sera precivo el que haga en uno de aquellos Puertos, bien sea en el de San Francisco o Bucareli, o bien en el mismo Nootka segun quedase nuestra Corte convenida con la de Inglaterra, algun buque, o destacamento nuestro para hacer respectar la autoridad del Soberano, y su dominio en aquellos mares antes que vayan amparandose de aquallas costas y terrenos otras Naciones. Reports on Russian settlements in the Northwest relayed through the captain of the American Brig "Gencook" [Hancock?] at Nootka, caused Revillagigedo to emphasize the great threat posed by the Russians. He suggests that Spain reduce her territorial ambition to a boundary drawn at the Strait of Juan de Fuca: "El comandante nuestro en Nootka escribio en 20 de Julio del año proximo pasado que en 17 de Mayo precedente arribo a aquel Puerto el Vergantin Americano el Gencook y su Capitan Samuel Croel refirio que havia evado un año antes en el Principe Guillermo fondeo en el Puerto de Graviña y adquirio noticia de que los Rusos se hallaban establecidos en una de las Islas de Quadra con una bateria de diez cañones de a 3 con que los dejo un Bergatin que vino desde Ososco y havia pasado a Onalaska para restituirse pronto a aquel destino, que no se sabia el numero de gente que se hallaba en la fortificacion; pero que sabia que tenian mucha los mismos Rusos en otra muy buena que havian echo en la Rivera de Cook...La vecindad de los Rusos podria acaso con el tiempo sernos mas perjudicial que la de los Ingleses u otras Naciones Europeas, cuyas disposiciones y auxilios debian ser mucho mas tardos y mui dificil que nos perjudicasen. Yo he sido siempre de opinion y he propuesto a la corte que lo conveniente era reducir nuestros limites hasta el estrecho de Juan de Fuca que parece ser un termino de demarcasion señalado por la misma naturaleza...." Recent Spanish voyages of exploration to the Pacific are described, including that of the Sutil and Mexicana, as well as the voyage led by Malaspina. Paragraph 714 relates news of the efforts of the 1792 voyage of the Sutil and Mexicana to the Northwest Coast: "Los viages de Exploracion que hicieron los Goletas Sutil y Mexicana aclararon ya que el Estrecho de Juan de Fuca no es el pretendido paso desde el oceano Pacific al Mar Atlantico, pues rodeando la Isla de Nootka vuelve a salir al mar por los 50 grados en cuyo viage no pudieron reconocer la parte de la costa que hay desde las 44 a los 47 grados – por lo que fue necesario repetir 2a. Expedicion en 30 de Abril de 93 comisionando para ella las Goletas Activa y Mexicana, de cuyos Buques el primero solo llego a los 43° 56 de latitud, y el 2o. llego a los 48o. y bajo haciendo un prolixo examen de la costa, reconocio la entrada de Ezeta y Rio Columbia, se incorporo con el otro Buque en el Puerto de San Francisco, y entraron ambos en San Blas a 4 de Noviembre de 1793." The viceroy describes how Texas was a natural buffer against invasions by foreigners from the north because of the lack of supplies and water in the region: "...tratar de venir por Texas tambien seria una empresa costosa y arriesgada para nuestros vecinos por aquellas partes que son los Colonos, y mui incomoda por la escasez de viveres, y especialmente de aguas." Besides items of Pacific interest, the manuscript contains much on the internal affairs of New Spain, and it is difficult to summarize the full range of topics covered in its 1422 entries. New Spain’s finances, missions, regulation of corn production, creation of royal academy of fine arts, powers and responsibilities of the viceroy, are all discussed. Dozens of entries reflect Revillagigedo’s special interest in the urban problems of Mexico City, for example, modernizing infrastructure and expanding education, among other efforts. An extensive index lists topics with respective paragraph reference number. "Revillagigedo [led] one of the most beneficial administrations that Mexico ever had under Spanish rule. He reformed the financial management, finished the paving of the principal streets of the capital, had the open sewers and canals filled up and subterranean sewers provided, cleaned the principal square, established free primary schools and began a carriage-road to Vera Cruz" – Appleton’s. These Instrucciones were considered important enough for publication as early as 1831, when they were printed in Mexico under the title, Instruccion reservada que el conde de Revillagigedo dio a su sucesor en el mando, Marques de Branciforte sobre el gobierno de este continente en el tiempo que fue su virrey. According to the preface of the 1831 published edition, this "precioso documento" may have been originally edited by D. Rafael Bachiller y Mean, a close advisor to Revillagigedo. A handful of other original manuscript copies of this important report are known to exist, of which two can be located in the United States, at the Newberry Library and the University of Arizona. Although the text was first published in 1831 as described above, the present manuscript represents its original format as circulated among officials in New Spain in the late 18th century. A key work for this critical period in the history of the Spanish American colonies, recording the accomplishments of New Spain’s greatest administrator and marking the beginning of the end of Spain’s dominance in the North Pacific. Appleton’s Cyclopaedia III, p.10. $35,000. 159. Rhodes, Eugene Manlove: GOOD MEN AND TRUE. New York. 1910. 177pp. Original red pictorial cloth. Covers slightly worn, hinges cracked. About very good, with three laid-in typed letters. This copy bears the enigmatic presentation: "Mr. ‘Booster’ Brown – Compliments of E.M. Rhodes." Any Rhodes inscriptions are rare. This copy belonged at one time to collector Paul Seyboldt, who tried to discover Brown’s identity, without success. Laid in are two letters to him from Rhodes crony and editor, W.H. Hutchinson, and one from widow May D. Rhodes, disclaiming knowledge. Hutchinson does speculate that it is a "friend from Gene’s high and careless youth." Hutchinson also solicits copies of Rhodes’ correspondence for his biographical work. A nice association copy. $1000. 160. Robinson, William D.: MEMOIRS OF THE MEXICAN REVOLUTION: INCLUDING A NARRATIVE OF THE EXPEDITION OF GENERAL XAVIER MINA.... Philadelphia. 1820. xxxvi,396pp. Original boards, paper label. Spine rather chipped, with silk reinforcement. Very occasional fox mark. Overall a good plus copy in original state, untrimmed. In a cloth case, leather label. Robinson was a colorful figure during the late colonial and Independence eras. A native of Philadelphia, he was a merchant who travelled throughout northern Latin America as a tobacco buyer, getting into trouble just about every place he went. He actively participated in the Mexican Wars of Independence on the side of the insurgents, and was captured and imprisoned several times. His narrative is included in Streeter’s Texas bibliography because of the contemporary account of Gen. Mina’s expedition from Galveston Island to Soto la Marina, and their subsequent march into Mexico. This is a fine eyewitness account. "Chief contemporary authority on the audacious filibustering expedition against Mexico under Mina, launched with a handful of men through Texas in 1817" – Howes. STREETER TEXAS 1080. SABIN 72202. HOWES R380. RAINES, p.176. $1250. Inscribed by the Dedicatee 161. Roosevelt, Theodore: HUNTING TRIPS OF A RANCHMAN; SKETCHES OF SPORT ON THE NORTHERN CATTLE PLAINS. New York & London: Putnam, 1885. [16],318pp. plus plates, including proof impressions of etchings by R. Swain Gifford and J.C. Beard. Frontispiece. Quarto. Original gilt pictorial cloth. Spine ends a bit frayed. Occasional light foxing in margins of a few plates. Small book label on front pastedown. Just about very good. Inscribed on the front fly leaf: "With Kind regards / to / G. ?? Esq. / from E.R." Probably by Roosevelt’s brother Elliott, to whom Teddy dedicated the book. This is the very uncommon "Medora Edition," limited to 500 numbered copies, constituting the actual first edition. The trade edition did not appear until the following year. One of Roosevelt’s most popular publications, this is one of the two books he wrote based on his experiences as a rancher in the Dakotas in the 1880s. ADAMS HERD 1949. MERRILL ARISTOCRAT. HOWES R430, "aa." GRAFF 3560. SIX SCORE 93 (note). $1750. 162. Ross, Alexander: ADVENTURES OF THE FIRST SETTLERS ON THE OREGON OR COLUMBIA RIVER: BEING A NARRATIVE OF THE EXPEDITION FITTED OUT BY JOHN JACOB ASTOR, TO ESTABLISH THE "PACIFIC FUR COMPANY;" WITH AN ACCOUNT OF SOME INDIAN TRIBES ON THE COAST OF THE PACIFIC. London. 1849. xv,[1],352pp. plus 16pp. of ads. Folding frontispiece map. Original blindstamped pebbled cloth, spine stamped in gilt. Spine ends and front hinge expertly repaired. Internally very clean and fresh. Very good. In a half morocco and cloth box, spine gilt. The Littell copy, with his bookplate on the front pastedown, and a small birthday note from a relative laid in. A book of the greatest importance to the history of the Astoria venture and the early Anglo-American struggle for control of the Oregon country. Ross was an officer of the Astoria company, and this is one of the fullest accounts of the entire venture, later supplemented by his Fur Hunters of the Far West. He also includes accounts of Robert Stuart and Wilson Price Hunt. Elliott Coues called this one of the three "synoptical gospels" of the Astoria enterprise. Howes notes that very few copies are found with a colored frontispiece; this is not one of them. The "Map of the Columbia" illustrates Oregon Territory. Contains a section devoted to Chinook vocabulary and jargon. WAGNER-CAMP 172. FIELD 1325. PILLING, PROOF-SHEETS 3381. TWENEY 89, 67. GRAFF 3576. HOWES R448, "aa." SABIN 73327. STREETER SALE 3713. TPL 958. WHEAT TRANSMISSISSIPPI 635. $2750. With the Famous Map 163. [Sage, Rufus B.]: SCENES IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS, AND IN OREGON, CALIFORNIA, NEW MEXICO, TEXAS, AND THE GRAND PRAIRIES; OR NOTES BY THE WAY, DURING AN EXCURSION OF THREE YEARS...By a New Englander. Philadelphia. 1846. 303pp. plus folding map. Contemporary blindstamped black cloth, gilt-lettered spine, expertly rebacked. Minor wear to extremities, neatly repaired. Slightly cocked. Moderate spotting in text and on map. Map with short tear and old tape repair. Overall very good. One of the most important overland narratives. Sage set out from Westport in the summer of 1841 with a fur caravan, later visiting New Mexico, witnessing the disaster of the Snively expedition, and joining the end of the 1843 Fremont expedition. He returned to Ohio in time to take a vigorous if futile role in the election of 1844, supporting Henry Clay. He wrote this book in 1845. The story of the publication of this work and its subsequent sale is told by LeRoy Hafen in the introduction to the most scholarly edition of Sage, issued in two volumes by the Arthur H. Clark Co. in 1956. According to Hafen, the publishers of the original edition felt the addition of a map would cost too much, and it was only at the author’s insistence that a map was printed and sold with the book, at a higher rate. The map, based mainly on the 1845 Fremont map, is usually not found with the book. It is "one of the earliest to depict the finally-determined Oregon boundary...one of the earliest attempts to show on a map the evermore-heavily traveled emigrant road to California" (Wheat). It adds interesting notes on the country and locations of fur trading establishments. Sage was certainly one of the most literate and acute observers of the West in the period immediately before the events of 1846. COWAN, pp.548-49. HOWES S16, "b." RAINES, p.181. MINTZ 402. SABIN 74892. WAGNER-CAMP 123. WHEAT TRANSMISSISSIPPI 527. GRAFF, 50 TEXAS RARITIES 30. GRAFF 3633. STREETER SALE 3049. MATTES 68. RITTENHOUSE 502. WHEAT GOLD REGIONS 30. $10,000. The Rarest Work by Captain Flack 164. [St. John, Percy Bolingbroke]: THE TEXAN RANGER, OR REAL LIFE IN THE BACKWOODS by Captain Flack. London. [1866]. 319pp. plus six plates (including frontispiece). Original cloth, elaborately stamped in gilt, expertly recased with new endpapers, a.e.g. Cloth stained, rubbed, and faded. Internally clean and very good. In a cloth slipcase. The pseudonymous Captain Flack is believed to have been the British writer, Percy Bolingbroke St. John. A number of tales of life in the Southwest appeared from his pen in the 1860s, stories which are fictional but seem to be closely based on personal experience. In the preface, the author claims to have lived on southern plantations and to be experienced in the "cultivation of Sugar, Cotton, and Tobacco." Most of the later chapters are devoted to hunting tales. Jeff Dykes, who pursued the "Captain Flack" story for decades, listed a number of Flack titles in his "Ranger’s All!" catalogue, including this one. He says there, and told this cataloguer subsequently, that the copy he listed in 1968 was the only copy he ever saw for sale; it is now at Texas A&M. The NUC lists four other copies. Howes only lists one Captain Flack title, but notes this work and several others. HOWES S32 (note). DYKES CATALOGUE 8:1064. SABIN 24640. $900. 165. [San Francisco]: BUSINESS DIRECTORY OF SAN FRANCISCO AND PRINCIPAL TOWNS OF CALIFORNIA AND NEVADA, 1877 CONTAINING NAMES, BUSINESS AND ADDRESS OF MERCHANTS, MANUFACTURERS AND PROFESSIONAL MEN.... [San Francisco]: L.M. McKenney, [ca. 1877]. [3],593pp. including pastedowns. Original printed boards, original backstrip preserved. Boards moderately rubbed and worn. Contemporary ink signature on front board, foredge, front pastedown, and titlepage. Overall very good. The titlepage lists eighty towns and cities, those of gold rush fame prominent among them. With numerous advertisements, many illustrated. ROCQ 7995. $1500. Wonderful Watercolors 166. [Santa Barbara]: [GROUP OF FOUR WATERCOLOR PAINTINGS SHOWING SCENES AROUND SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA, circa 1880]. [Santa Barbara and Santa Ynez, Ca. ca. 1880]. Four watercolor paintings on paper and card. One is signed with the overlapping monogram: "TA"; the remainder are unsigned. Various sizes, edges trimmed slightly unevenly, the largest approximately 7 x 10 inches, the smallest approximately 6 x 10 inches. Excellent displayable condition. Archivally matted and protected with mylar sheets. In a cloth clamshell case, leather label. A lovely group of watercolors showing the region around Santa Barbara, California circa 1880. The paintings are very well accomplished, perhaps the work of a professional artist, showing a variety of shading and color ranges, accurately portraying the beauty of the area. The illustrations show the Santa Inez Mission, an adobe house in Santa Barbara, and two wilderness scenes in the surrounding mountains. The artist is unknown, but the illustrations were likely done by a traveller in the late 19th century. The identity of the traveller is unknown, but one of the watercolors (item two, below), is signed with the overlapping monogram "TA" in the lower right corner. We have dated the illustrations circa 1880 due to evidence given in the watercolor of the Santa Inez Mission. The Santa Inez Mission was built in 1804 near the site of present-day Solvang, some forty-five miles northwest of Santa Barbara. The mission had a troubled early existence and it went through the control of many hands during the mid-19th century. In 1877 supervision was transferred to the Christian Brothers, who remained until 1881. In 1882 an Irish family took control of the mission, and in 1884 various parts of it, including a bell tower, collapsed. The illustration of the Santa Inez Mission included here shows two men, apparently Christian Brothers priests, walking toward the mission, as well as an intact bell tower, evidence which would indicate that the painting was done some time during the period from 1877 to 1884. Three of the four paintings are labeled on the verso as follow: 1) "Old Adobe House. Santa Barbara." 6½ x 10¼ inches. Shows a rather simple but large structure, with a colonnaded porch and tile roof. Sheep relax in the foreground of the painting, while the Santa Ynez Mountains rise in the background. 2) "Part of the ruins of Sta. Inez Mission. Cal." 6¼ x 10 inches. Two Catholic priests are seen walking on the road toward the mission, a large two-story structure with a bell tower and stable. A very attractive image. 3) "Stopping for the night. Cal." 6¼ x 10 inches. A team of six horses eats hay in a small clearing, while a man attends to a wagon. Another man on horseback is seen riding into the picture. 4) [Horse Team Travelling Through a Pass]. 7 x 10 inches. A team of horses is shown pulling a wagon through a wooded pass. A lovely and quite interesting group of Santa Barbara area watercolors, showing the bucolic region circa 1880. Any such accomplished watercolors of the Santa Barbara area from this period are rare and highly desirable. $15,000. Vast Compilation on the American Indian 167. Schoolcraft, Henry R.: HISTORICAL AND STATISTICAL INFORMATION RESPECTING THE HISTORY, CONDITION, AND PROSPECTS OF THE INDIAN TRIBES OF THE UNITED STATES.... Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1851-1857. Six thick folio volumes. Numerous plates and maps, many tinted or in color. Uniformly bound in original publisher’s cloth, front board and spine gilt, rear board stamped in blind. Volumes 1, 2, and 4 bound in green cloth; volumes 3, 5, and 6 in maroon cloth. Volumes 1, 2, 5, and 6 rebacked (some loss of text on original spines). All volumes ex-lib., volumes 2-6 with call numbers on spine and contemporary numerical inscription on front fly leaf; volumes 2-5 with institutional bookplate on front pastedown. Contemporary inscription of artist Seth Eastman on front pastedown of volumes 2, 3, and 4; additional contemporary gift inscription from acting Commissioner of Indian Affairs on front free endpaper of volume 5. Portion of contemporary inscriptions erased on front pastedown of volume 2 and front free endpaper of volume 5. Volumes 1-5 with half title, engraved titlepage, and letterpress titlepage. Volume 6 with half title and letterpress titlepage. Old institutional library blindstamp on titlepages of volumes 2-5 and in margin of frontispiece in volume 6. Internally near fine, texts and plates very clean and fresh, with only occasional minor foxing. A very good set. The first edition of one of the most important and massive works concerning the American Indian, a foundation stone of ethnological studies in America, and by far the most extensive single work on the American Indian issued in the 19th century. Schoolcraft, the general editor, was commissioner of Indian Affairs for many years, and in an unparalleled position to assemble the data presented herein. Field, while criticizing the general layout of the work, says it contains "a vast mass of really valuable material. It has indeed performed a very important service for Indian history, in collecting and preserving an immense amount of historical data. Vocabularies of Indian languages, grammatical analyses, legends of various tribes, biographies of chiefs and warriors, narratives of captivities, histories of Indian wars, emigrations and theories of their origin, are all related and blended...a very large number of beautiful steel engravings, representative of some phase of Indian life and customs, are contained in the work...." In fact, the volumes contain some 336 illustrations, many of them steel engravings after artist Seth Eastman, most of which do not appear elsewhere. "No two people will probably agree which plates, among several hundred, are to be regarded as colored because the use of tinting is very skillful and most varied. The editor feels that only about 70, more than half in the first volume, are truly colored plates but he freely admits that the effect of coloring (as distinct from specific color) is very general throughout, though the black and white illustrations probably outnumber the others. It is said that the comparatively numerous colored plates of the first volume are all to be found, in colored state, in only a few copies" – Bennett. The copy in hand would appear to be one of the latter few. Only fourteen illustrations in the first volume of this set have no color or tint. There are many plates (and some maps in the second through sixth volumes) which have been handsomely and expertly colored (often by hand, some partially so) throughout the set, but most frequently in the first volume. HOWES S183, "b." FIELD, p.353. SABIN 77849. BENNETT, p.95 SERVIES 3691. $22,500. 168. Sewall, J.S.: SECTIONAL MAP OF THE SURVEYED PORTION OF MINNESOTA AND THE NORTHWESTERN PART OF WISCONSIN. St. Paul. 1867. Folding pocket map, 24¼ x 31¾ inches, with full period color. Bound into original 16mo. pebbled purple cloth, stamped in blind and gilt. Sales label on inside front cover: "D.D. Merrill, Randall & Co....Saint Paul July 1, 1867." Near fine. Extensive new development in the north and west regarding counties, townships, sections, towns, etc. A railroad now runs from Winona on the Mississippi, to St. Paul, and from there to St. Cloud. This edition is not listed in Rumsey. KARROW 7:0780. $950. With Numerous Lithographic 169. Seyd, Ernest: CALIFORNIA AND ITS RESOURCES. A WORK FOR THE MERCHANT, THE CAPITALIST, AND THE EMIGRANT. London: Trubner and Co., 1858. [4],168,[1]pp., plus eighteen plates (seven colored or tinted, one folded), two folding maps, and ads. Tinted lithographic frontispiece. Original black pebbled cloth, stamped in gilt and blind, spine gilt. Cloth quite rubbed, worn at spine ends, corners bumped. Internally fresh and clean. Overall, very good. "One of the best early surveys of the natural resources of California" – Currey & Kruska. A thorough and lively work on California, with much on the state’s natural resources, history, and economy, as well as its gold fields and agricultural prospects. The tinted frontispiece showing Yosemite Falls and another tinted plate showing Yosemite Valley were derived from sketches made in 1855, and appear to be the first views of Yosemite Valley to be published in a book. Other illustrations show buildings in San Francisco, forest scenes, and mining operations. Wheat says the illustrations "are of much Gold Rush significance." One map shows all of California, while the other shows several routes to California from England and Europe, including overland from New York or New Orleans, across the Isthmus of Panama, or around the Horn. "Scarce...One of the best books on the resources of California, with much historical material on the Vigilance Committee" – Howell. COWAN, p.577. ROCQ 17136. CURREY & KRUSKA 296. HOWELL 50:832. HOWES S310, "aa." SABIN 79633. WHEAT GOLD RUSH 181. ABBEY 662. $2250. 170. Siringo, Charles A.: A TEXAS COW BOY OR, FIFTEEN YEARS ON THE HURRICANE DECK OF A SPANISH PONY. TAKEN FROM REAL LIFE. Chicago & New York: Rand, McNally & Co...., [1886?]. 347pp. plus nine plates including portrait of the author and color frontispiece, and [5]pp. of ads. Original gilt pictorial cloth. Some fraying at extremities, a couple tears at bottom of spine. Inner hinges tender, contents browned as usual. A good, sound copy. "The first – and best – cowboy autobiography" (Howes), and undoubtedly one of the most important range books. This would seem to be one of the earliest Rand, McNally editions, undated, but still using the colored frontispiece which appears in the 1885 and 1886 editions that were issued by Siringo himself. SIX SCORE 99. HOWES S518. GRAFF 3804. DYKES, KID 17. DOBIE, p.119. ADAMS SIX-GUNS 2032. ADAMS HERD 2077. BASIC TEXAS BOOKS 185. $1000. 171. Sloan, Edward L., ed. & comp.: UTAH GAZETTEER AND DIRECTORY OF LOGAN, OGDEN, PROVO AND SALT LAKE CITIES, FOR 1884...CONTAINING A HISTORY OF UTAH, HER RESOURCES, ATTRACTIONS, STATISTICS, etc. WITH BUSINESS DIRECTORY OF THE TERRITORY AND GENERAL DIRECTORIES OF THE FOUR PRINCIPAL CITIES. Salt Lake City: Printed for Sloan & Dunbar by the Herald Printing and Publishing Company, 1884. 634,[2]pp. plus folding color map and folding table. Modern three-quarter calf, spine gilt. Small closed tear in folding table; small tears in upper margin of pages 167/168, neither affecting text. Else fine. An exhaustive directory, particularly notable for the handsome map, which is often lacking. $1500. 172. [Sonora]: Gándara, Manuel Maria: EL GOBERNADOR DEL DEPARTMENTO DE SONORA A LOS PUEBLOS AUSILIARES QUE HAN DEFENDIDO LA CAUSA DE LA NACION. Arizpe, Mx. Sept. 17, 1838. Broadside, 8 x 12 inches. Minor edge wear, fading along fold lines, uniformly browned. Good. An important proclamation from Sonora governor Manual Maria Gándara urging his people to not support the insurrectional designs of "el ingrato General D. José Urrea," whom Gándara had just defeated for the Sonora governorship. Urrea would later march on Mazatlan in an attempt to capture the city, but he was defeated. An interesting broadside relevant to the political history of Sonora, then comprising a large part of Arizona. Rare. Not on OCLC. $900. 1786 Report on the Trade 173. [Spanish California]: [Basadre y Vega, Vicente]: COPIA DEL INFORME DE DN. VIZENTE VASADRE [manuscript cover title]. [Monterey. 1786]. [26]pp. Folio sheets, stitched. Small hole in blank portion of cover sheet, with no loss of text. Two small worm holes in inner margin, touching a letter of text in three instances. Old horizontal fold. Overall near fine. In a cloth clamshell case, leather label. This manuscript collects several reports and letters regarding a plan to exploit the trade in sea otter pelts in California for the benefit of the Spanish Crown in the late 18th century. The plan was developed in 1784 by Vicente Basadre y Vega, a Mexico City merchant, who contended that a profit ten times the cost could be reaped by harnessing the labor of mission Indians in California and Baja California. The pelts would then be traded in China and other parts of Asia for quicksilver, which was important to the Spanish for the processing of silver ore. This little-known plan helps shed light on the economic workings of Spanish California in the late 18th century, and on the potential advantages that the mission system provided to the Crown. Basadre y Vega argued that the waters off the coast of Alta and Baja California were teeming with sea otters ripe for the hunting, and that the Indians attached to the various Dominican and Franciscan missions in would be a perfect labor force. By his calculations, the cost of harvesting the pelts would be about 10 pesos, while each fur could be sold in China, Manila, or Macao for the equivalent value of 100 pesos, bringing a large profit. The Indians, in turn, would be paid in trade goods and cloths for their labor. The costs of the operation would be borne by a stock company. The Spanish government approved the plan, and Basadre y Vega promoted it to the missionaries in California, including those at missions San Vicente, Santo Domingo, El Rosario, San Fernando, and San Borja. In the end, bureaucratic interference and competition from the British caused the Spanish Crown to find the plan unattractive, and the scheme was dropped, allowing British and Russian traders to profit greatly from the trade in sea otter pelts. This manuscript contains several sections. The first is Basadre y Vega’s report of Dec. 20, 1786 from San Blas. He writes that more than 1,000 pelts have already been collected, that he has the promise of assistance from the Franciscans in Alta California and is still waiting to hear from Dominican missionaries in Baja. He calculates that 10,000 pelts (costing roughly 100,000 pesos to harvest) can be sold to China for a total of a million pesos. Basadre y Vega complains about the lack of cooperation from Gov. Pedro Fages, whom he considers a despot. He also describes the poverty and discontent he has seen in the region between San Diego and Monterey, where the military is favored but the missionaries struggle under difficult conditions. In the next document in the manuscript, dated Sept. 11, 1786, Basadre y Vega writes to Gov. Fages asking his assistance in procuring boats for fur hunting. He notes that though Dominican leader Fray Miguel Hidalgo does not think the Indians can manage the vessels, he believes that Europeans could assist them. He asks Fages for his aid and views on the matter. Following this is a transcription of Fages’ reply, dated a few days later. The Governor opposes the use of boats, due to the cost and the fact that the Indians cannot maintain them. Fages goes even further and shows his opposition to Basadre y Vega’s scheme altogether, maintaining that the way of life of the Indians should not be altered, and that whatever pelts are gathered should be turned over to the governor’s office. Fages writes that he also thinks that if the gathering of pelts is to be undertaken, it should be limited to five or six thousand pelts per year. In the next document, also dated September 1786, Basadre y Vega appeals to the important Franciscan leader, Fray Francisco Fermin de Lasuen, for his assistance in obtaining boats and for stimulating the Indians to hunt sea otter pelts. The final document is a copy of Lasuen’s reply, written from his headquarters at Monterey, in which the missionary writes that he thinks the Indians can carry out the task with rafts and canoes, which would be more practical than larger boats. Lasuen concludes this collection on an encouraging note, writing that if the Indians are provided with appropriate compensation, such as supplies, they could meet high levels of production. A very interesting document, with much information about the economics of the Spanish empire in the Californias, the development of the trade in sea otter pelts, Spanish commerce with Asia, the role of missions in the Spanish economy in the Southwest, and the uses of Indian labor at Spanish missions. $15,000. 174. Stansbury, Howard: EXPLORATION AND SURVEY OF THE VALLEY OF THE GREAT SALT LAKE OF UTAH INCLUDING A RECONNOISSANCE OF A NEW ROUTE THROUGH THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. Philadelphia. 1852. 487pp. plus fifty-seven plates (some folding) and three folding maps. Two additional maps bound into a separate volume. Original blindstamped cloth; spine of text volume gilt; cover of map volume gilt. Spine of text volume faded, with one-inch closed tear at head. Light scattered foxing. Early ink ownership signatures and owner’s small ink stamp in both volumes. Both volumes very good. This work is a report of the first extensive survey of the Great Basin, and a major landmark in the cartography of the American West, based on surveys made by Stansbury in 1849 and 1850. One of the large maps, "Map of the Great Salt Lake and adjacent country in the Territory of Utah," permanently established the topography and place names of northern Utah. The other large "Map of a reconnoissance between Ft. Leavenworth, on the Missouri River, and the Great Salt Lake in the Territory of Utah...," showing the overland trail, was based on the work of Stansbury, Gunnison, Preuss, and Carrington. See Wheat for an exhaustive discussion. This account is also important as a pioneering botanical study of the Great Basin. HOWES S884. WHEAT TRANSMISSISSIPPI 764, 765, 766. WAGNER-CAMP 219:2. MINTZ 433. FLAKE 8359. GRAFF 3947. FIELD 1490. SABIN 90372. TAXONOMIC LITERATURE 12798. $1250. 175. Stimson, A.L.: HISTORY OF THE EXPRESS COMPANIES: AND THE ORIGIN OF AMERICAN RAILROADS. TOGETHER WITH SOME REMINISCENCES OF THE LATTER DAYS OF THE MAIL COACH AND BAGGAGE WAGON BUSINESS IN THE UNITED STATES. New York. 1858. viii,287pp. including illus. Portrait. Original gilt cloth, rebacked in cloth, original leather label preserved. Some edge wear, bit tanned. Very good. A presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper: "Geo. R. Hastings, from the Author. A. Lovell Stimson." This is the second edition, greatly expanded from the first of 1858, which consisted of only forty pages. A very rare volume, containing much material about western express companies, including Wells Fargo, and such other major companies as American Express. HOWES S1008. SABIN 91827. $1750. 176. Storrs, Augustus: ANSWERS OF AUGUSTUS STORRS, OF MISSOURI, TO CERTAIN QUERIES UPON THE ORIGIN, PRESENT STATE, AND FUTURE PROSPECT, OF TRADE AND INTERCOURSE, BETWEEN MISSOURI AND THE INTERNAL PROVINCES OF MEXICO, PROPOUNDED BY THE HON. MR. BENTON. Washington. 1825. 14pp. Modern cloth, gilt leather label. Ink stain on titlepage, two pencil annotations in margins. Moderate browning. A good copy. One of the first important documents on the Santa Fe trade and trail. Storrs took a wagon train from Missouri to New Mexico in 1824, and herein gives detailed answers to twenty-two questions concerning the route, the surrounding country, and the history, nature, size, and scope of the trade. RITTENHOUSE 540. WAGNER-CAMP 29. GRAFF 3998. STREETER SALE 154. $550. 177. Strahorn, Carrie Adell: FIFTEEN THOUSAND MILES BY STAGE. A WOMAN’S UNIQUE EXPERIENCE DURING THIRTY YEARS OF PATH FINDING AND PIONEERING FROM THE MISSOURI TO THE PACIFIC AND FROM ALASKA TO MEXICO. New York & London. 1911. 673pp. plus photographs and illustrations by Charles Russell and others. Frontispiece portrait. Original gilt cloth, pictorial onlay, t.e.g. Slight rubbing to extremities. Overall, clean and very good. Mrs. Strahorn travelled throughout the West with her husband while he was engaged in writing promotionals for the Union Pacific Railroad. Their travels were extensive, and the author’s enthusiasm and eye for detail make this one of the key narratives by a woman. The color plates and multitude of black and white vignettes and plates by Charles Russell render it a prime Russell item as well. HOWES S1054. GRAFF 3999. YOST & RENNER 25. ADAMS HERD 2180. ADAMS SIX-GUNS 2152. $800. The Author’s Quickest Work 178. Strahorn, Robert E.: THE HAND-BOOK OF WYOMING AND GUIDE TO THE BLACK HILLS AND BIG HORN REGIONS FOR CITIZEN, EMIGRANT, AND TOURIST. Cheyenne. 1877. 249pp. 10 leaves of ads. Illus. Original printed wrappers. Front wrapper detached, typewritten label pasted to spine, spine ends bit chipped. Else a very good, clean copy, with Thomas W. Streeter’s book label affixed to rear wrapper. Surely one of the most rapidly composed pieces of prose written on the road in America. As the author points out in the preface, scarcely sixty days elapsed between the proposal to write this work and its publication. The period also encompassed his honeymoon, and his wife tells of the trip during which the work was written in her book, Fifteen Thousand Miles by Stage. Strahorn wrote while travelling, and by the time he arrived back in Chicago, where the book was actually printed, he had composed the entire text. One of the most thorough western promotional works. ADAMS HERD 2181. HOWES S1055. JENNEWEIN 91. STREETER SALE 2248 (this copy). SIX SCORE 104 (note). GRAFF 4000. $1000. 179. Streeter, Thomas W.: BIBLIOGRAPHY OF TEXAS 1795 – 1845.... Cambridge [Ma]. 1955. Five volumes. Quarto. Cloth. A very good set. In dust wrappers. The original printing of Streeter’s landmark bibliography, with excellent annotations. Covers Texas imprints from 1817 to 1845, Mexican imprints relating to Texas from 1803 to 1845, and United States and European imprints relating to Texas from 1795 to 1845. Not easily found as a complete set. $1250. Sioux Indian Painting 180. [Szwedzicki, C., pub]: SIOUX INDIAN PAINTING PART I. PAINTINGS OF THE SIOUX AND OTHER TRIBES OF THE GREAT PLAINS. [with:] PART II. THE ART OF AMOS BAD HEART BUFFALO. Nice, France: C. Szwedzicki, [1938]. Two separate portfolios. 15; 10pp. of text in parallel English and French, plus fifty plates (many in color) on individual sheets. Folio. Unbound sheets laid into original folding cloth portfolios with string ties. Light wear to the portfolios, but internally fine, with the bookplate of philanthropist Mrs Charles Voorhis on the front pastedown of the first portfolio. One of 400 numbered sets, signed and numbered by the publisher. Comprised of letterpress introductions and notes by Hartley Burr Alexander, accompanied by fifty folio plates printed via gravure and the pouchoir process (twenty-five plates per volume). These are two of the most desirable of all the lavish Szwedzicki folios. The beautiful plates depict the artwork of a number of Sioux, Shoshone, and Kiowa artists (e.g. Kills Two, Amos Bad Heart Buffalo, Pretty Hawk, Chief Washakie, and Silver Horn). The second portfolio contains artwork exclusively by Amos Bad Heart Buffalo, including a series of famous scenes from the Battle of the Little Big Horn. Seventeen of the twenty-five plates in the second part relate entirely to the Custer battle, and others to the Wounded Knee massacre. When the drawings were reproduced in 1967 in A Pictographic History of the Oglala Sioux, they were singled out as a Custer "Highspot." Szwedzicki also produced portfolios of Kiowa Indian art and Pueblo art, all published in a similar format in the south of France in the 1930s. These portfolios have become rather uncommon due to cannibalization over the years, and it has been suggested that some sets were destroyed during World War II. A beautiful and important collection of 19th-century American Indian art. LUTHER HIGHSPOT 105. $6500. |
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