Item #260827012 California in 1851, The Letters of Dame Shirley ["The Shirley Letters"]. Dame Shirley, Douglas S. Watson, Carl I. Wheat, Introduction and Notes, Mrs. Louise Amelia Knapp Smith Clappe.
California in 1851, The Letters of Dame Shirley ["The Shirley Letters"]
California in 1851, The Letters of Dame Shirley ["The Shirley Letters"]
California in 1851, The Letters of Dame Shirley ["The Shirley Letters"]

California in 1851, The Letters of Dame Shirley ["The Shirley Letters"]

San Francisco: The Grabhorn Press, 1933. Limited Edition. Hardcover. Two volumes (complete), one of 500 sets (unnumbered), octavo size, 335 total pp. Near fine. Item #260827012

This two-volume set contains the letters of Dame Shirley, in which she recounts her experiences living in a mining camp in California in the mid-nineteenth century. The letters tell of life in the mining camp in rich detail and offer a unique perspective from an intellectual New England woman, and form a personal picture of the hardships and innovation during the California Gold Rush.

The first edition of the letters is extremely scarce; this set is part of the Grabhorn First Series of Rare Americana, numbers 5 and 6. The set was one of the Fifty Books of the Year.

___DESCRIPTION: Quarter blue cloth, light blue paper covered boards with navy blue lettering and decoration, light blue paper spine label with navy blue lettering and decorations, fore- and bottom edges uncut, title-page information set within a rectangle of light blue within double ruled border, scenes from the blue letter-sheet lithographs used as headpieces throughout; Centaur type, machine-made paper, binding octavo size (8 7/8" by 6 1/8"), pagination: Volume I [i-iv] v-xviii [xix] 1-142 [143-148 notes]; Volume II [i-iv] v-xviii [xix] 1-143 [144-149 notes]; one of 500 copies, unnumbered.

___CONDITION: Volumes are near fine, with clean boards (other than a few miniscule spots), straight corners without rubbing, strong square text blocks with solid hinges, and the interiors clean and bright, and entirely free of prior owner markings; offsetting to the paper covering the boards and to the endpapers, else fine.

___CITATION: Grabhorn Press Bibliography, numbers 178 and 179.

___POSTAGE: International customers, please note the following: (i) additional postage may apply as the standard does not always cover costs, please inquire for details; and (ii) any taxes, duty, or tariffs charged by your country will, of necessity, be your responsibility.

___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.

Price: $75.00

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