THAYER, William M.

Marvels of the New West: A Vivid Portrayal of the Stupendous Marvels in the Vast Wonderland West of the Missouri River (Six Books in One Volume)

Norwich, CT: The Henry Bill Publishing Company, 1887. First Edition. Thick octavo (24cm); contemporary tan calf; red and dark brown morocco spine labels; all edges marbled; xxxvi, 715pp, frontispiece. Amateur repairs to backstrip and textblock preliminaries. Original leather shows some scratches, abrasions and wear; extremities rubbed with material loss. Minor soiling and foxing throughout textblock; over 350 b/w text-illustrations and maps. Overall Very Good, sound.

It would seem a sign of the times that we might now describe some of the "Marvels" detailed in this book as the "Old West". However, in 1887, the lands west of the Missouri still held the promise of adventure and discovery, as well as opportunity. This book, containing six volumes, covers the marvels of nature, race, enterprise, mining, stock-raising, and agriculture. While fascinating and evocative (including a breathtakingly inaccurate account of the Donner Party incident), it is unfortunately imbued with the Anglo-Saxon supremacist attitudes of its time (as described literally in the book's conclusion).

Price: $75.00

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