View of the Climate and Soil of the United States.
Volney, Constantin.
London: Printed for J. Johnson, 1804.
Price:
$1,000.00
About the item
First edition. Two folding plates, and two folding maps. [28],503, [1]pp. 1 vols. 8vo. Early half smooth tan calf and pebbled cloth boards, spine gilt, marbled endpapers. Howes V141; Clark II:69; Field 2449; Pilling, Proof-Sheets 4063; Monaghan 1472; Buck 49.
Item #377584
The first edition of the American travels of this French firebrand and social critic, who went to America to avoid imprisonment in France. The narrative is notable for Volney's comments concerning the French royalist colonies in the Ohio country. He also includes a vocabulary of the Miami language, and some interesting meteorological and geological observations. The maps show the U.S. and North America. "His work teems with the most interesting particulars, which he observed or learned, regarding the Indians" (Field). "Considered as a picture of the physical condition of the country, as far as respects its surface and climate, this was the best and most complete that had appeared up to the time of its publication" (Thomson). A pleasing copy.
