Illustrated Sketches of Death Valley

1892. An Evocative Exploration of Death Valley: Pictorial and Descriptive Insight into the Borax Deserts of the West Coast

Spears offers readers a vividly descriptive journey through Death Valley

Spears, John R.
Illustrated Sketches of Death Valley and Other Borax Deserts of the Pacific Coast : 226 pp. Features photographs and a map detailing the Borax zones along the Pacific Coast. Dimensions: 19x12.7 cm (7½x5"). Chicago, 1892. Variant issue, with yellow cover pasted over later boards and library spine. Internally with old reinforcement to inner hinge. A VERY RARE Book.

Spears presents a detailed depiction of Death Valley as it was in the year 1891, providing a narrative that predates Manly's account by a couple of years. "Illustrated Sketches" is distinguished as much by its pioneering photographs as by the narrative it conveys. These images might be among the earliest-if not the very first-published photographs of the Death Valley area, lending them significant historical value. Edwards highlights their utmost significance, while Paher recognizes the book as not only one of the paramount Death Valley chronicles but also a key piece of Nevada literature. Spears stands out as the inaugural professional writer-photographer to document the happenings in the desert expanses... - Referenced in Paher 1844; Cowan p. 604; Edwards, "Enduring Desert" p. 227; Graff 3926; Howes S821; listed in Zamorano Select 103.