AMERICANA 46 The Great Pacific Railroad Surveys, With Hundreds Of Maps And Plates, Including “Of The Most Important Maps Of American History” 53(PACIFIC RAILROAD SURVEY) Reports of Explorations and Surveys… Washington, 1855-60. Twelve volumes. Quarto, modern three-quarter black morocco gilt. $16,000 First quarto edition, mixed issue, greatly expanded. The most extensive government exploration of the American continent, with almost six hundred maps (many folding) and splendid plates (colored, tinted and black and white) depicting views, ruins, Native Americans, zoological and botanical specimens, etc. “The expeditions of the Great Pacific Railroad Surveys… conducted a great renaissance of the West. The survey reports filled 13 massive volumes, including an entire volume of maps, panoramas and pictures. Among these was the first accurate detailed map of the whole trans-Mississippi West, a great scientific achievement by 27-year-old Lieutenant G.K. Warren. One of the most important maps of American history [Volume XI, bound after the plates in this copy], it was a careful composite of the numerous expedition route maps and field notes, as well as previous works by Emory and Preuss… Perhaps the most spectacular results of the Railroad Surveys were the hundreds of drawings, paintings, lithographs, engravings and fold-out panoramas produced by the field artists. Highly romantic in manner, they offered the first comprehensive picture of the West” (Goetzmann and Williams). Preceded by the scarce 1855 three-volume octavo edition, which was then expanded with illustrations and many textual additions to make this magnificent quarto set. Scattered foxing and marginal dampstaining, occasionally affecting plates and maps; the notoriously fragile folding maps with occasional closed tears, a few repairs. An extraordinary production.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDg3OTM=