L. W. Currey, Inc.

(Transcontinental Railroad) Degrand, Peter Paul Francis. PROCEEDINGS OF THE FRIENDS OF A RAIL-ROAD TO SAN FRANCISCO, AT THEIR PUBLIC MEETING, HELD AT THE U. S. HOTEL, IN BOSTON, APRIL 19, 1849. INCLUDING AN ADDRESS TO THE PEOPLE OF THE U. STATES; SHOWING THAT, P. P. F. DEGRAND'S PLAN IS THE ONLY ONE, AS YET PROPOSED, WHICH WILL SECURE PROMPTLY AND CERTAINLY, AND BY A SINGLE ACT OF LEGISLATION, THE CONSTRUCTION OF A RAIL-ROAD TO CALIFORNIA, IN THE SHORTEST TIME ALLOWED BY ITS PHYSICAL OBSTACLES [cover title]. Boston: Dutton and Wentworth, Printers, 1849. 23 x 14.5 cm, pp. [1] 2-24, original salmon wrappers printed in black, sewn. First edition, first printing. A proposal to construct a railroad and telegraph line from St. Louis to San Francisco. The project was to be completed in four or five years by tee-totaling laborers working in shifts 24 hours a day. This is one of the earliest proposals for a transcontinental railroad linking California (not then part of the Union) and the United States, indicating the swiftness with which the Gold Rush spurred a clamor to unite the continent. This is the first printing of a work reprinted several times. Peter Paul Francis Degrand (1787–1855), a French-born financier, moved to Boston, Massachusetts, around 1803 and died there in 1855. He bequeathed $120,000 to charity, a large part of which was for the acquisition of French-language scientific texts for Harvard University. Cowan (1933), p. 513. Eberstadt 114: 641. Sabin 19303 (listing only a fourth edition in the same year). Some wear and soiling to wrappers, four small thread holes punched near spine fold, short splits in wrappers along upper and lower spine fold, small chip from lower margin of pages 19/20 with no loss of text, a very good copy. Enclosed in a folding cloth chemise and custom quarter leather and cloth slipcase with spine lettered in gold. (#164918).

Price: $1,000.00