The California and Oregon Trail - photo 1

The California and Oregon Trail

Lot 209
26.05.2022 10:00UTC -05:00
Classic
Sold
$ 88 200
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUSA, New York
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 752940
Lot 209 | The California and Oregon Trail
Estimate value
$ 15 000 – 25 000
The California and Oregon TrailFrancis Parkman, 1849PARKMAN, Francis. The California and Oregon Trail: being Sketches of Prairie and Rocky Mountain Life. New York: George Putnam, 1849. The unique Streeter set in original wrappers of this classic overland trail narrative. First edition, first printing of Parkman's first book. The Streeter set is the only one recorded in original wrappers. "Parkman's work may be the most familiar piece of western travel writing to modern readers, describing his experiences on the Oregon Trail and in Wyoming and Colorado in 1846. The exciting adventures of the young Boston Brahmin loose on the plains makes excellent reading, especially his account of life with the Sioux in the Black Hills. He eventually returned east by way of Bent's Fort and across the Sante Fe Trail" (Reese). The present set was analyzed at great length in James Walsh's article, "The California and Oregon Trail: A Bibliographical Study," in 1950. Neither Walsh in 1950 or George M. Ellis in 1987 was able to located another set in wrappers. Jacob Blanck was unable to examine the present set and BAL asserts only "also reported in printed paper wrappers." Parkman's popular narrative quickly went into three printings in the spring of 1849, but according to a letter from Putnam to Parkman on 30 March, only the first printing was offered in both wrappers and cloth. BAL 15446; Best of the West 109; Cowan p. 474; Grolier American 58 (this copy); Howes P-97 ("c," incorrectly locating a copy in wrappers at Yale); Sabin 58801; Streeter sale 1814 (this copy; incorrectly describing only two volumes, although all three are described by Walsh in 1950 as belonging to Streeter); Wagner-Camp 170:1a; Walsh, James E. “The California and Oregon Trail: A Bibliographical Study.” The New Colophon. Volume III, 1950. Pp. 279-85. Two volumes. 12mo (192 x 126 mm). One ad leaf [pp. 3-4] at end of Part 2. (Without second terminal ad leaf, moderate foxing.) Original wrappers (well-rubbed, backstrips splitting, lacking lower wrapper of Part 1 and upper wrapper of Part 2 [appears deliberate, perhaps there was a thought to bind them together], Part 2 with some tears and chips to lower wrapper, light edge-chipping to last few leaves). Housed together in custom chemises and a quarter morocco slipcase. [With:] A second copy of Part 2 in wrappers. This copy with two ad leaves [pp 3-(6)] at end of Part 2 (the second ad leaf pasted down to inside back cover; moderate foxing and dampstaining). Original wrappers (rubbed, with old and chipped rebacking, the upper wrapper reinforced on inside with the same paper, lower wrapper with a closed tear and corner chip, ad leaf mostly adhered to inside cover). Custom chemise and quarter morocco slipcase. Provenance: Mlle Goddard (ownership signature to Part One upper wrapper) – [sold by Scribner's in 1943 to] – Thomas W. Streeter (bookplate to first chemise; his sale, Parke-Bernet, 24 October 1967, lot 1814).Exhibited: "One Hundred Influential American Books printed before 1900," the Grolier Club of New York, 1947, no. 58.
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
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