Yosemite Guide - Scenes of Wonder and Curiosity in California, Hutchings, 1872

Description: Please see photos and read the condition description. We are most happy to post and send additional photos and to answer any questions. This a copy of Scenes of Wonder and Curiosity in California, by J. M. Hutchings, Roman & Company, San Francisco and New York, 1872. "with over 100 illustrations." This was a wonderful guide and travel book from the era for the Yosemite Valley, at the time it became a national park. It is lavishly illustrated with engravings of the time and juxtaposed against practical advice for access -- railroads, etc. 292 pages plus some advertising pages at the back. This in itself is a piece of California history and a lot of fun to peruse! We have provided photos of examples of the condition of the pages and the scope of the illustrations. As noted in the condition description, the few stains are towards the beginning and seem to be ink as they penetrated a few pages if lightly. Elsewhere it just seems to be a smudge or two, as we suspect this was used for it's intended purpose at the time. That said, the pages are remarkably fresh and pliable James M. Hutchings was an energetic promoter of California and particularly the Yosemite Valley--first via the Hutchings California Magazine and then in his books (such as this). He and his wife ran the Hutchings House hotel in Yosemite from 1864-74, and from 1880-84 Hutchings served as Guardian of the Park (then owned by the State of California), although he had an ongoing battle with both the state and the US governments over his presence there. This was the first work to describe the Yosemite area in detail. This is obviously NOT a first edition, which appeared in 1860, but each year was a refreshed edition. This particular copy came to us (meaning the family) via Dawson's book shop in LA, probably when it was on Grand Avenue -- based on the wonderful and intricate bookshop label on the interior of the rear endboard (see photos). Dawson's has been a premier rare book seller for decades, and we think this has been with us since the 20s or 30s. Please see the photos and read the condition description. We are happy to provide more. We carefully pack and ship our books in boxes to protect them.

Price: 110 USD

Location: Alexandria, Virginia

End Time: 2024-12-28T17:26:42.000Z

Shipping Cost: 6.13 USD