The Mountains of California
New York: The Century Co., 1894. First Edition. Hardcover. First issue, octavo size, 51 illustrations and 2 maps, 397 pp. Very good. Item #22033101
John Muir (1838-1914) remains well-known and beloved today for his work on environmental issues over 100 years ago, and wrote extensively on the west, including Yosemite and the Sierras. He helped to preserve the Yosemite Valley, Sequoia National Park and other wilderness areas, as well as being co-founder of the Sierra Club.
The compilers of the "Zamorano 80" wrote about this work: "John Muir was for many years California's best known nature-writer. Muir travelled through the Sierra, and gave us a description of the topography, glacial lakes, forests and wild life. To this is added a journey in the country back of Pasadena, and all this on foot." The Kimes bibliography chimes in thusly: "Muir selected articles which had previously appeared in several magazines and one newspaper, and edited them to create his first book. He skillfully prefaced his selections with an overview of the Sierra Nevada Range, preparing the reader for the more detailed aspects that follow. The book contains much of Muir's finest writing between 1875 and 1882, and is considered by many Muir admirers to be his finest book...New material is found in chapters I, III, and XII."
First edition, first issue with the numberal "1" printed on the first page of text.
___DESCRIPTION: Bound in full light brown cloth over boards, decoration on the front board in green and debossed gilt, gilt lettering on front and spine, green and gilt decorations on the spine, top edge gilt, frontispiece, an additional fifty illustrations, and two (full-page) maps bound in throughout, vintage bookseller ticket ("Doxey/Importer/San Francisco") on the bottom of the rear pastedown; octavo size (7 3/4" by 5 1/2"), pagination: [i-viii] ix-xvi, 1-381.
___CONDITION: A bit better than very good, the boards clean, the decoration and lettering on the front board bright, both hinges, solid, the text block strong, collated complete with all illustrations and maps present as called for, and entirely free of prior owner markings; some sunning to the spine, the text block cocked, we note a guttar or two just starting to crack but the text block still strong, a few scattered spots of light foxing, and some slight indentations to the bottom edge of the text block. Even with its few faults, still a first issue copy slightly better than very good.
___CITATIONS: Zamorano 80/56; Currey & Kruska no. 258; Kimes & Kimes no. 189, first issue with "1" on page 1 of text.
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Price: $1,000.00