Description: Report of the United States and Mexican Boundary Survey, Made under the Direction of the Secretary of the Interior, Volume II, Part I (only), Botany of the Boundary 34th Congress, 1st Session, Senate Ex. Document No. 108 by William H. Emory with contributions from C. C. Parry, John Torrey, and George Engelmann, Washington: A. O. P. Nicholson, Printer, 1859 First edition. Volume II, Part I only (although listed on the Contents page, Part II, Zoology, was not bound into this copy and is not present): 270, 78 pp. with 137 steel-engraved and lithographic plates including the famous “View Along the Gila”. In later tan buckram without a spine title (previous back strip, also untitled, is inserted loose at front). Emory’s Boundary Survey reports are one of the most sought after of the early southwestern Government reports because of the wealth of geographic, cultural, and scientific information recorded along the route through southern and western Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Like the Pacific Railroad reports issued during the same period, the Emory survey represents one of the most important compilations of exploration and data about the American southwest ever published by the United States government. The survey added greatly to an understanding of the geography, topography, geology, meteorology, ethnology, zoology, and botany of the boundary extending from Texas to California. Wheat (Mapping the Transmississippi West) describes Emory's report as "perhaps the most complete scientific description ever made of the lands, the people, and the border country". “Botany of the Boundary” consists of three reports: an introduction by Parry; general botany by Torrey; and cactaceae by Engelmann. About the botany of the borderlands, C. C. Parry remarks in the Introduction that “Perhaps no region of equal extent presents more marked illustrations of the relation of the vegetation of a country to its topography and geology than those afforded by that lying along the Mexican boundary line.” He then proceeds to provide a “sketch of the features presented by the vegetation of the country, especially noticing those plants which predominate in, and give character to, the several districts into which we have divided it.” The report consists predominantly of detailed descriptions of plants, many beautifully illustrated by finely drawn engravings, at actual size when possible, prepared in both the United States and Europe. Although written for specialists, the exquisiteness of the illustrations can be appreciated by all. Condition: Ex-library (former Library of Congress copy). Complete with all plates. Light edge wear and some light soiling to boards. The front inner hinge is split and starting to separate but should be repairable with binder’s tape; binding is otherwise intact and sound. There is a small bookplate on the front pastedown, a penciled note on the title page and a couple of small ink stamps on verso. The text is lightly toned and generally quite clean with some light offsetting to the Engelmann text. Foxing and spotting is rare. The plates are pleasingly bright and clean with only a stray marginal finger smudging or spotting evident on a minority of sheets. For its age, this is a superb copy of a rare and important scientific work.
Price: 375 USD
Location: Denver, Colorado
End Time: 2024-11-03T16:39:15.000Z
Shipping Cost: 9 USD
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Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 30 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Binding: Hardcover
Special Attributes: 1st Edition
Topic: Biological Science
Subject: Science & Medicine
Original/Facsimile: Original
