Click for full-size.
California Gold Regions, with a full account of their Mineral Resources; How to Get There, and What to Take; the Expenses, the Time, and the Various Routes. With Sketches of California; an Account of the Life, Manners, and Customs of the Inhabitants, Its History, Climate, Soil, Productions, &c
by Pratt, F. M. [Compiler]
- Used
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
Portland, Oregon, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: William H. Graham [& F.M. Pratt], 1849. First Edition. First edition. 48 pp. Bound in scarce publisher's peach printed wrappers, stitched. Very Good, spine chipped and repaired, creasing and chips along edges of wraps. Faint vertical crease throughout. A few small stains and; small marginal dampstain to the final 12 or so pages. Repair to corner tear on p. 11. Marginal repair to p. 31. Housed in a custom half morocco chemise slipcase. Scarce in the original wrappers. Almost always found disbound or rebound as many pamphlets of this time were bound with other pamphlets and the wrappers were removed.
One of the first, and scarcest of the gold rush guides, called by Norris "an extremely rare, early guide to the California gold mines." Howes was of the opinion that the compiler was Pratt, the publisher listed on the title page (but not these wraps), who gathered together information from various sources, including Colonel R.B. Mason's report, a letter of Thomas Larkin dated June 1, 1848, extracts from newspapers on directions to California, and sketches of people, climate, and natural resources. The booklet is designated "A Cheap Edition for the People. Price Twelve-and-a-half cents. Ten Copies for One Dollar" although it is the only edition. The publisher evidently sought to take quick advantage of the many people who were about to strike out for the far side of the continent, like so many shovel salesmen who sagely avoided catching the gold bug themselves. Not in Graff or the Streeter Sale. Cowan p.96; Howes C39b; Howell 102a; Kurutz 107; Norris 3099; Sabin 9970.
Reviews
(Log in or Create an Account first!)
Details
- Bookseller
- Burnside Rare Books, ABAA
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 140943622
- Title
- California Gold Regions, with a full account of their Mineral Resources; How to Get There, and What to Take; the Expenses, the Time, and the Various Routes. With Sketches of California; an Account of the Life, Manners, and Customs of the Inhabitants, Its History, Climate, Soil, Productions, &c
- Author
- Pratt, F. M. [Compiler]
- Book Condition
- Used
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition
- Publisher
- William H. Graham [& F.M. Pratt]
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1849
- Keywords
- gold rush, California, guide, miners, 49ers, 1849, minerals, mining, travel, American West, 19th century
Terms of Sale
Burnside Rare Books, ABAA
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Burnside Rare Books, ABAA
Biblio member since 2010
Portland, Oregon
About Burnside Rare Books, ABAA
Burnside Rare Books specializes in literary first editions and works of cultural and historic significance. We are located in Portland, Oregon and welcome visitors by appointment.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Wrappers
- The paper covering on the outside of a paperback. Also see the entry for pictorial wraps, color illustrated coverings for...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Morocco
- Morocco is a style of leather book binding that is usually made with goatskin, as it is durable and easy to dye. (see also...
- Title Page
- A page at the front of a book which may contain the title of the book, any subtitles, the authors, contributors, editors, the...
- Edges
- The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a...
- Rebound
- A book in which the pages have been bound into a covering replacing the original covering issued by the publisher.
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
Frequently asked questions
This Book’s Categories
Collecting food and drink books
Nothing quite whets the appetite for rare and collectible books like old and vintage cookbooks. Be sure to check out our cook books and food section of our rare book room.
How to tell if a signature is genuine
Author's signatures can undoubtedly increase the value of a rare book or first edition. The more scarce the book is, the more an autograph adds to its value. But how to tell if the signature is real? Find out how you can avoid common pitfalls in identifying an author's signature.
