CALIFORNIA ROMANTIC AND BEAUTIFUL by James, George Wharton - 1914

BiblioBazaar, 2009-11-25. Paperback. Good.

HardPress Publishing, 2012-01-10. Paperback. Good.

Boston: The Page Company, 1914. First Edition, First Printing. Good/No Dust Jacket. Art nouveau-style pictorial binding with decoration in gilt, yellow, and purple; 9.5 inches tall; 4to; 433 pages indexed & illus; illustrated endpapers; color captioned tissue-guarded frontispiece, 72 illustrations [8 in color]; Folded color map.. The bindings are tight and square. Text clean,  the text is evenly are-toned. Moderate shelf handling wear with rubbed edges; and heavy rubs along the spine edges with some openings that appear to have been glued back. Two gift inscriptions on the verso or the front free end page.. The initial statement of 'California, a land intertwined with Romance and Beauty,' sets the thematic tone for James' book. Rather than merely cataloging landmarks and itineraries, his travel guide aimed to encapsulate the essence of the entire state. James delved into diverse subjects such as history, geology, climate, flora and fauna, natural resources, education, and the arts. As elucidated… Read More

Paperback / softback. New.

Hardback. New.

BiblioLife, 2009-11-25. Paperback. Good.

24.5cm by 16.5cm, 433pp, second impression, illustrated in b/w and colour frontispiece of El Capitan with tissue-guard, covers faded, spine almost completely faded, cracked joint but still square and firm, piece torn off lower corner of second last page, no text missing, unmarked.

Boston: The Page Company, 1921. Reprint. Hardcover. 8vo. Pp. v-xxiv, 3-434. Frontis. color illustration of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. Illustrated throughout with black & white photographs on glossy paper. Bibliography. Index. Final two leaves uncut. Decorated endpapers. Top edge gilt. Bound in forest-green cloth with titles and illustration of a tree and young woman gilt & embossed in an Art Nouveau style on cover. Includes a map of California detached but laid in. Spine dulled, and with a small bleach mark. (Please see photos.). James, the great promoter of California, sets forth in his pleasant armchair-style with a narrative enhanced by many photo plates throughout, some in color. The decorated cloth is a triumph of design.

Boston Ma: The Page Company, 1919. 1st Edition 5th or later Printing. Hardcover. Near Fine. Color Folding Map, 72 Plates Of Which 8 Are In Color. Xxv, 433 Pp. Green Cloth Stamped In Gilt, Yellow, Brown And Flesh Illustrated Endpapers. Folding Map And 72 Plates, 8 Colored. Fifth Printing, 1919, Stated. Near Fine, No Marks, Bright And Clean.

Boston: The Page Company, 1914. Hardcover. Very good. Second impression, November 1914. A volume in the See America First series. Title continues: The History of it Old Missions and of its Indians, A Survey of its Climate, Topography, Deserts, Mountains, Rivers, Valleys, Islands and Coast Line. A Description of its Recreations and Festivals, a Review of its Industries, An Account of its Influence upon Prophets, Poets, Artists and Architects and some Reference to what it Offers of Delight to the Automobilist, Traveller, Sportsman, Pleasure and Health Seeker. 433 pp, including index and bibliography, with 72 plates from photographs (8 in color) and folding map. Original dark blue art nouveau-style pictorial binding with decoration in gilt, yellow, and purple. Corners and spine ends rubbed, internally sound and clean. The book's opening line, "Romance and Beauty are words inseparably connected with California" sets the tone for the work. James' travel guide was intended to capture the essence of the… Read More