The Rambler in North America [complete in 2 volumes] [FIRST EDITION]

London: R.B. Seeley and W. Burnside, 1835. First Edition. Cloth. Fair. 8vo. Contemporary cloth with floral design in blind. Vol. I: xi, 321. Vol II: viii, 336.
Binder's copy. Spine coverings removed, so boards detached. Scuffing to edges and corners. Interiors excellent, clean and complete.
This is the first edition of a significant contribution to American ethnography. Latrobe (1801-1875; technically "La Trobe") was something of a Renaissance man, described by his friend Washington Irving as "a man of a thousand occupations; a botanist, a geologist, a hunter of beetles and butterflies, a musical amateur, sketcher of no mean pretensions. a very indefatigable, if not always a very successful, sportsman." Later, "beloved governor of the Australian territory Victoria" would be added to his list of accolades. This book was written during an 1834 trip to the American West and prairie territories with Irving, to whom the work is dedicated. The result is Latrobe's best-known book, a highly readable (and rather tongue-in-cheek) portrait of life on the frontier and in the indigenous communities. This copy is clean and complete but suffers from binding issues, which is reflected in our price. (Sabin 39222; Howes L127; Wagner-Camp 57).