California as an Island: An Illustrated Essay...; With Twenty-five Plates & a Bibliographical Checklist of Maps showing California as an Island
San Francisco: The Book Club of California, printed by Robert Grabhorn and Andrew Hoyem, 1972. Limited First Edition. Hardcover. One of 450 copies, folio size, [155] pp., with original sales invoice. Near fine. Item #CNBR001
The Book Club of California's 141st publication, and its Christmas book for 1972. The curious misconception that California was an island was recorded by a minimum of 170 maps, in many editions, and continued to 1785 even after the island theory had been disproved. Dr. John Leighly, Professor Emeritus of Geography at the University of California Berkeley, was enlisted by The Book Club to write an essay on the history of California as an island, the cartography of the West Coast of America, and early exploration and navigation of the Pacific Coast. Dr. Leighly's essay is illustrated with reproductions of maps that trace the progression of California from peninsula to island and back again. A thorough bibliographical checklist and historical account unlike any done before, still highly regarded and the seminal research work in this field.
___DESCRIPTION: Bound in quarter brown morocco, tan paper boards with a colour facsimile of one of the maps on the front board, lettering in gilt to backstrip, fore- and tail-edges uncut, map on title page in colour, opening initial in blue, green and yellow, colophon in red and black, twenty-five map plates (twenty double spreads and one fold-out), twelve facsimile map reproductions throughout text; Goudy California type both hand-set and monotype, handmade paper for text, machine made paper for plates, folio size (13.75" by 8.75"), [1-7] 8-154 [1 colophon] pp., limited first edition, one of 450 copies. Loosely laid in is the original sales invoice on BCC letterhead, showing the price of $55.00, dated February 14, 1973.
___CONDITION: A near fine copy, internally bright and complete, text block is tight with solid hinges, covers have just a few, stray spots of minor soiling, backstrip slightly rubbed at head and tail, light offsetting to both hinges; otherwise a beautiful copy, near fine.
___CITATION: BCC 200, no. 141; Harlan, Grabhorn-Hoyem Bibliography, no. 60.
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Price: $500.00