12 volumes in 13 (complete). Extensively illustrated with color lithograph plates of scenic views, black & white lithographs of geological, botanical & zoological subjects (including some hand-colored lithographs of birds), graphs & charts, folding maps, etc. (4to) 29x22 cm (11½x8½") a mix original cloth or leather bindings, two volumes rebacked with modern cloth. A mix of House and Senate issues.
Complete set of the Quarto Edition of the massive compilation of surveys and reports undertaken under the aegis of Secretary of War Jefferson Davis in the largest concerted effort to map the western frontier of the United States to that time. Four major routes were surveyed, from a northern route terminating at the mouth of the Columbia River to a southern route running through Texas to San Diego. Among the principal contributors were A.A. Humphreys, G.K. Warren, Isaac Ingalls Stevens, J.G. Parke, A.W. Whipple, J.C. Ives, W.H. Emory, Spencer F. Baird and others. The important series of lithographic views of the West, from drawings by Richard and Edward Kern, Tom Mix Stanley, Charles Koppel and others, presented to the world some of the first depictions of previously unexplored regions of the West, and some of its newly civilized regions. Wagner-Camp notes, "Despite their flaws, these volumes contain a monumental collection of scientific information, geographical, zoological, botanical, geological, of the still mysterious American West. Upon first examination, the volumes seem forbiddingly disorganized... however these faults are amply compensated by the richness of the material within." Howes P3; Wagner-Camp 262-267. Appears complete but not collated comprehensively. Sold as is.
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