Mount Olympus
San Francisco: Johnck & Seeger, 1929. Patterson, L.A. First and Limited Edition. Hardcover. First edition in book form, one of 950 copies, quarto size, 58 pp., with slipcase. Fine. Item #CNBR493
Francis Peloubet Farquhar (1887-1974) was a distinguished mountaineer and environmentalist. His story of the first well-known ascent of Mount Olympus was published here for the first time in book form, being initially published in Scribner's Magazine for November, 1915.
Since, prior to WWI, the area in which Mount Olympus is located was under the control of the Ottoman Empire, in 1912 "its outlines were not shown correctly on any map, its height had never been accurately measured, and no human was known to have set foot upon its summit" (p. vi). Following WWII Olympus fell under Greek control; Farquhar and his friend, Aristides Phoutrides, attempted the ascent and came to within forty-one feet of the true summit.
Illustrated with reproductions of photographs taken by Farquhar and two maps, one folding. The printing was by the inimitable Bay Area printers Johnck & Seeger, this work both the story of an encounter with the mountain, as well as a lovely fine press work.
___DESCRIPTION: Vellum shelfback, white spine label with black lettering, brown laid paper over boards with black lettering and an illustration printed on the front board, frontis photograph one of five bound in throughout, title page with small roundel of Zeuss against a mountain, the preface and the three chapters each with a chapter headpiece and historiated initial capital, the folding map a reproduction of a 1590 map, the second map that of "Modern Greece", extensive bibliography of Mount Olympus at the rear; quarto size (11 1/8" by 7 5/8"), pagination: [i-iv] v-x [4] [1-2] 3-48. Housed in a slipcase covered with brown paper.
___CONDITION: Volume fine overall, with clean boards, straight corners without rubbing, a strong, square text block with solid hinges, the interior is clean and bright, and entirely free of prior owner markings; a minute spot of wear to the vellum at the front joint, else fine. Slipcase better than very good, clean, two of the seams just beginning to split but still strong and sturdy.
___CITATION: Not in Neate, although he did list four other Farquhar titles.
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Price: $100.00