•  Shoemaker 15382. Contemporary speckled sheep, worn and abraded, spine with gilt-stamped leather title label. Front pastedown with early numerical inscription. Outer margins of last few leaves waterstained; some pages with mild cockling or light spotting, others with varying degrees of age-toning. (6030)

Kalispel is the language of the Flathead Indians of Montana, Idaho, eastern Washington, Alberta, and portions of British Columbia.

•  Pilling, Salishan, 29; Newberry Library, Ayer Indians, Kalispel 2.   Publisher's pale green wrappers, a little soiled; front one with a small chip to fore-edge and another across one corner, paper of spine with truly minute loss (only) at tips. A nice clean copy.  (41446)

•  Very good condition with a good+ dust jacket (small tears, price clipped from front flap).  (3169)

Binding:  Publisher's sage green paper–covered sides with dark green cloth shelfback, front cover with decorative title and train vignette both stamped in gilt and dark green, spine with gilt-stamped title. Top edge gilt, outer edge deckle.

•  Binding as above; edges, joints, and extremities rubbed, front cover mottled. Front pastedown with inked ownership inscription. Pages and plates clean.  (29126)

Although the Sylva’s title-pages call for “121 fine plates,” there are actually 131 here. The three volumes are illustrated with an abundance of lithographic plates of delicately rendered images of leaves, branches, and fruits, done by the famed Pierre Joseph Redouté, Bessa, G. West, J.T. French, J.B. Butler, E.D. Long, and others, with highly skilled hand-coloring supervised by T.R. Jones. Tragically, the original lithographic stones that were prepared to accompany the text by Sinclair of Philadelphia were lost to a devastating fire. After that 1856 fire, editions of Nuttall bear illustrations different from those found here and in the other pre-fire editions.

As per their title-pages, these exquisite volumes were a three-volume supplement to Andrew Michaux’s work on the same topic and were issued with the three volumes of his work. But they also stand alone on their own for they contain the sylva “not described in the work of F. Andrw Michaux.” For example, they contain “all the forest trees discovered in the Rocky Mountains, the territory of Oregon, down to the shores of the Pacific, and into the confines of California, as well as in various parts of the United States.”

All three volumes are written in the first person and offer, beyond their botanical data, engaging vignettes and vistas of myriad American localities; further, by way of both professional and personal notes of thanks for specimens and observations, they document a grand network of corresponding scientists active in exploring and mapping the continent. We hear of a giant buttonwood measured “twenty years ago” by General Washington, and are told that fine chestnut furniture may be found at “Mr. Crout's cabinet warehouse in Sixth Street,” in Philadelphia . . .

Bindings: Publisher's deep green striped ribbed cloth; predominantly seen in the 1840s, never common, andparticularly unusual for volumes of this size. Front covers each with gilt-stamped morning glory vignette surrounded by a simple blind-stamped border and back covers with same entirely in blind. Spines each with gilt-stamped title, author, and volume number.

•  Sabin 56351; Reese, Stamped with a National Character, 21 (for 1850–51 ed.); Allibone 1445. On striped bindings, see: Krupp, Making a Case for Cloth, p. [11].   Bindings as above, corners with minor rubbing, vol. II with spine head pulled. The plates are slightly age-toned but otherwise in beautiful condition, save for one plate in vol. I with a small area of paper adhesion. Vol. II with intermittent mild foxing. A striking set of this classic of science, art, and American place-lore. (25305)

Provenance:  Inscription of M.A. O'Neil to fly-leaf, Portland, ME (1905); signature of Francis Massey O'Brien, Irish-American bibliophile and bookseller also of Portland, in his “Proinnsías Ó Bríain” form (1940).

•  Publisher's quarter brick red cloth with muted-apricot paper-covered sides; elegant gilt cartouche on front cover with author and title in black. Board edges lightly rubbed. A pleasing, attractive copy with pleasing provenance.  (29955)

The caption title reads: “Smith, with a copy of the 'Fugitive Slave Law,' eagerly inquiring the way to Canada.”   The text printed within a wavy border.

WorldCat locates only the copy at the Library Company of Philadelphia, this being its deaccessioned duplicate.

•  Old folds, dust-soiled, other stains. Evidence of old stitching. A decent copy of a rarity.  (38404)