The natural wealth of California comprising early history; geography, topography, and scenery; climate; agriculture and commercial products; geology, zoology, and botany; mineralogy, mines, and mining processes; Manufactures; steamship lines, railroads, and commerce; immigration, population and society; educational institutions and literature; together with a detailed description of each county; its topography, scenery, cities and towns, agricultural advantages, mineral resources, and varied productions. San Francisco: H. H. Bancroft & Company. New York: 113 William Street, 1868. 25.5x17 cm, pp. [i-v] vi-xi [xii-xiii] xiv-xvi [1] 2-696 [697-698: ads] [699-700: blank], 16 inserted plates, original bevel-edged green pebbled cloth, spine stamped in gold, gray endpapers. First edition. ''The best and most reliable work of the time. Many copies were issued without plates" (Cowan [1933], pp. 150-151). "Useful compendium. A few copies were illustrated" (Wheat, Books of the California Gold Rush 53). This copy has plates, including a plate showing "The Sentinels" in the Calaveras Grove and three views of Yosemite Valley on two plates. Sierra Nevada references are scattered throughout, including descriptions of the Sequoia gigantea, pp. 505-506, specific groves, Calaveras, p. 265, Tuolumne, p. 267, Merced, p. 279 and Tulare, p. 327; the High Sierra, pp. 323-324, 327-328, 432-433; and Yosemite, pp. 276-279. "Death Valley is mentioned in the chapters on San Bernardino and on Inyo Counties with conflicting dimensions given of the Valley. Desert material is to be found on pp. 94-103, 117-120, 280-288. The Cronise gives us one of our earliest published book references to Death Valley, naming it as such" (Smith, The Enduring Desert, pp. 62-63). Rocq (1970) 16793. Sabin 17608. Professionally recased with spine panel preserved and laid down, a bright, tight very good copy. A very nice copy. (#166334).
No statement of printing.