Rare books from Peninsula Books

New York: J & J Harper. Good. 1828. First Edition. Hardcover. A rare and desirable book relating to the western frontier of the early nineteenth century--this book is seldom offered for sale. "Observations on people, manners and conditions in frontier Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky by an intelligent itenerant preacher. "--Howes. "Reed was a Presbyterian minister in Indiana, but his labors occasionally took him into eastern Illinois. "--Buck. Rear joint split, old stain to title page, scattered foxing. Original leather spine (rear joint starting) and paper covered boards. This book is contained in new green cloth tray case with leather spine label. Last leaf is unpaged and contains errata. Ref: Howes R126 (b) , Buck, not in Sabin; 12mo 7" - 7½" tall; 242 pages .

Washington: Gales and Seaton. Good. 1836. First Edition. Hardcover. George William Featherstonhaugh (1780-1866) was a British-American geologist and the first U.S. Governement Geologist. He surveyed portions of the Louisiana Purchase and spent much of his life in the wilderness of the new nation. This geological reconaissance of the Wisconsin Territory conducted in 1835 at the direction of the Senate provides an interesting early account of the region as far as the broad plateau known as the Coteau de Prairie that lies between the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. He begins this account with a general discussion of geology. The descriptive portion of his travels actually begins with his departure from Washington and continues through the Great Lakes to Wisconsin (Sandusky, Detrioit, Mackinac, Green Bay, etc.). His Wisconsin travels took him up the Fox River from Green Bay. He then went down the Wisconsin R. to Prairie du Chien on the Mississippi. He traveled up the Mississippi to… Read More

London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. Very Good with no dust jacket. 1843. Hardcover. Josiah Wood Whymper (1813 - 1903) was a British wood-engraver, book illustrator and watercolourist. His wood-engraving enterprise became one of London's most successful. He also later became well-known for his watercolor paintings and was drawn to painting pastoral landscapes and riverscapes which are now highly collectible and valued. Whymper illustrated a number of publications for the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge in London, including the portfolio of engravings in this collection which are said to be some of his best. While these engravings are undated, the Victoria and Albert Museum attributes an 1843 publication date to them, however, they seem to have been published over a period of 22 years: from 1843 - 1865. Each illustration consists of explanatory text beneath the image in letterpress, and the image itself was produced by wood engraving. They were originally… Read More