PBA Galleries

[viii], [9]-186 pp. Three maps inserted in text, 1 in rear pocket. 14.5x10 cm (5¾x4"), blue cloth with gilt lettering to spine and gilt stamp to cover, edges gilt. Third Edition, first issue.

The second "pocket edition." Of the four maps prepared for this edition, one is new, "Sketch of the Hetch-Hetchy Valley...1874," and two are revised. "The most influential publications of the California Geological Survey were the series of Yosemite guidebooks published between 1869 and 1874. These publications were intended to serve as tourist guides to the Yosemite region and various groves of giant sequoia. The first pocket edition, containing two small folding maps but no illustrations, was issued in 1871. This edition was sold at one dollar per copy and was well received by the public "on account both of its cheapness and its portability." The series of Yosemite guidebooks influenced the literature on Yosemite which followed, becoming the frequent source of quotations in numerous other books about the region. The guidebooks contain information which is still useful and much of the historical material is of interest. "Although these guide-books are long out of date, they have a literary quality that preserves their value" was Francis P. Farquhar's apt appraisal in his essay "The Literature of the High Sierra". Currey & Kruska 61.