What I Saw In California
by Bryant, Edwin
Edwin Bryant made the journey from Independence, Missouri to California in the years 1846-47, through the southern pass of the Rocky Mountains and across the desert. As a medical student, he became an unofficial doctor along the way, and witnessed some gruesome scenes, like the amputation of a little boy’s gangrenous leg, which he describes in painful scientific detail. He is equally explicit when portraying the daily life of the wagon trip, and his prose illuminates the trials of the traveler:"During the process of cooking supper, it commenced raining and blowing with great violence. Our fire was nearly extinguished by the deluge of water from the clouds, and our dough was almost turned to batter..."Bryant intended his work to function as both entertainment to the general reader and instruction for those planning to follow his path, and the book is a repository of useful information, like distances, weather, water source locations, and descriptions of plant life. As such, it is invaluable to enthusiasts of Western history. It is also a really good story, with entertaining sketches of camp life, Indians, and animals. Bryant’s descriptions of the landscapes are particularly compelling:"The vast prairie itself soon opened before us in all its grandeur and beauty...The view of the illimitable succession of green undulations and flowery slopes, of every gentle and graceful configuration, stretching away and away, until they fade from the sight in the dim distance, creates a wild and scarcely controllable ecstasy of admiration."The variety of Bryant’s adventures is striking – in one day he is present at a death, a wedding, a funeral, and a birth. He is often nearly overwhelmed by the functions of nature going on around him, and is particularly moved by the continuous presence of death: "One of our party who left the train to hunt through the valley, brought into camp this evening a human skull. He stated that the place where he found it was whitened with human bones. Doubtless this spot was the scene of some Indian massacre, or a battle-field where hostile tribes had met and destroyed each other. I could learn no explanatory tradition; but the tragedy, whatever its occasion, occurred many years ago."What I Saw in California is the classic yet remarkable adventure of a young man heading west, well-written and full of historically useful information.
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What I Saw in California
by Bryant, Edwin
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- Used - Near Fine with no dust jacket
- Edition
- First Edition
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- 1936
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- Hardcover
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Northridge, California, USA
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A$235.96
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San Francisco: Fine Arts Press. Near Fine with no dust jacket. 1936. First Edition. Hardcover. Tan quarter leather spine with leatherette boards, titled in gilt, deckle edges. First edition thus, from original in the 1840s. Slight rubbing to cover edges and spine. Sound and square; few minor pencilled checks to table of contents. ; Large 8vo … Read more about this item Item Price
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WHAT I SAW IN CALIFORNIA: BEING THE JOURNAL OF A TOUR, BY THE EMIGRANT ROUTE AND SOUTH PASS OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS, ACROSS THE CONTINENT OF NORTH AMERICA, THE GREAT DESERT BASIN, AND THROUGH CALIFORNIA, IN THE YEARS 1846, 1847; WITH AN APPENDIX, CONTAINING ACCOUNTS OF THE GOLD MINES, VARIOUS ROUTES, OUTFIT, ETC., ETC.
by Bryant, Edwin
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- Fifth Edition
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- 1849
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Eugene, Oregon, USA
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A$346.10
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New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1849. Fifth Edition. Hardcover. Good. Octavo. Brown cloth, elaborately blind-stamped, with gold-stamped spine. This (Fifth Edition saw the inclusion of an (untitled) map of the California Gold Region (5 7/8 in x 3 3/8 in. // 14.5 x 8.5 cm.). Shelfwear and light rubbing to extremities, with several nudged corners and light… Read more about this item Item Price
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WHAT I SAW IN CALIFORNIA.
by Bryant, Edwin.
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Stockton, California, USA
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Pages 468 pps.8vo. Clothbound. Facsimile edition. Zamorano 80. Near fine in dust jacket. Item Price
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WHAT I SAW IN CALIFORNIA: BEING THE JOURNAL OF A TOUR, BY THE EMIGRANT ROUTE AND SOUTH PASS OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
by Bryant, Edwin
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- 1967
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Providence, Utah, USA
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Minneapolis: Ross & Haines. Very Good- in Very Good- dust jacket. 1967. Very good condition in dust jacket with slight wear and small chips to the edges.; Reprint edition. . Item Price
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What I Saw In California
by Bryant, Edwin
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Northport, New York, USA
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Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press (1985). 8vo; stiff pictorial wraps; softcover; 453 pages; introduction by Thomas D. Clark ; a very good clean, tight, unread copy.
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What I Saw in California
by Bryant, Edwin
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- 1967
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Hudson, Wisconsin, USA
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Minneapolis: Ross & Haines, Inc., 1967. Reprint of the 1848 Edition . Cloth. Near Fine/Fine. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. 468 pp., indexed. Limited to 1,500 copies. New in a Fine price-clipped Dw, as issued. Cloth bound hardcover book. The image provided here by has nothing to do with this edition.
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What I Saw in California
by Bryant, Edwin
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- 2008
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- 9781438502694
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Seattle, Washington, USA
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Book Jungle, 2008. Paperback. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed. Item Price
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What I Saw in California
by Edwin Bryant
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- 1985
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- Soft cover
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- 9780803260702
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Chico, California, USA
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Lincoln, NE: BISON BOOKS. Covers and pages starting to yellow, clean copy. . Very Good. Soft cover. 1985. Item Price
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What I Saw in California
by Bryant, Edwin
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- 1985-05-01
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Walla Walla, Washington, USA
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University of Nebraska Press, 1985-05-01. Paperback. Good. Good. Light to moderate shelf wear to covers/corners; satisfaction guaranteed. Trade paperback binding. Earthlight Books is a family owned and operated, independent bookstore serving Walla Walla, Washington since 1973. Item Price
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What I Saw In California: Being The Journal Of A Tour, By The Emigrant Route And South Pass Of The Rocky Mountains, Across The Continent Of North America, The Great Desert Basin, And Through California, In The Years 1846, 1847
by Bryant, Edwin
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- fine
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- Facsimile reprint
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- 1967
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- Hardcover
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Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
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Minneapolis: Ross & Haines, 1967. Facsimile reprint. Hardcover. Fine/fine. One of 1500 copies. Bound in the publisher's original red cloth with the spine stamped in gilt. Dust jacket is price clipped.
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What I Saw in California.
by Bryant, Edwin.
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- 1985.
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Fair Oaks, California, USA
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A$34.61
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Lincoln.: University of Nebraska Press., 1985.. First edition thus. . Soft cover. . Fine copy. . Octavo.. Important reference work. Very scarce in this condition. Item Price
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What I Saw in California: Being the Journal of a Tour, by the Emigrant Route and South Pass of the Rocky Mountains, across the Continent of North America, the Great Desert Basin, and through California, in the Years 1846, 1847
by Bryant, Edwin
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- 1849
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LEWES, GBR
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Richard Bentley, London, 1849, hardback, small 8vo, viii,208pp,. Fair. 1849. Hardcover. ex-library, label on endpaper, stamps on title page and final page margin, pp61/62 torn with some loss of text, otherwise sound, mottled green cloth, gilt titles, covers worn, corners bumped and scuffed, numbering on spine, Fair condition . Item Price
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What I saw in California;: Being the journal of a tour by the emigrant route and South Pass of the Rocky Mountains, across the continent of North ... through California, in the years 1846, 1847
by Bryant, Edwin
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- 1967-01-01
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Simi Valley, California, USA
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A$11.80
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Ross & Haines, 1967-01-01. Hardcover. Very Good. 1.5000 8.8000 6.0000. Light shelfwear. Pages clean and intact. Item Price
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What I Saw in California
by Edwin Bryant
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- New
- ISBN
- 9783734094880
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Uxbridge, Greater London, GBR
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A$51.89
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New. New Book; Fast Shipping from UK; Not signed; Not First Edition; The What I Saw in California. Item Price
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What I saw in California
by Bryant, Edwin
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- Used - Good
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- No Jacket
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- First Trade.
- Published
- 1985
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- Soft cover
- ISBN
- 9780803260702
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Los Banos, California, USA
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A$39.33
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Univ of Nebraska, 1985. First Trade. . Soft cover. Good/No Jacket. What I saw in California Bryant, Edwin Being a Journal of a tour 1946-1847 Uiv. of Nebraska, 1985, lst. 455 pages, ISBN: 0803260709 Facsimile Softcover in good+ condition with good+ cover. Text clean and unmarked, binding tight. cover very clean. Bryant one time Alcalde (Mayor) in San… Read more about this item Item Price
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What I Saw in California
by Bryant, Edwin
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- Used - Near Fine
- Jacket Condition
- Near Fine
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- 1967
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- Hardcover
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Austin, Minnesota, USA
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A$28.32
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Ross & Hanies, 1967. Book. Near Fine. Hardcover. Near fine book and jacket. Price-clipped. . Item Price
A$28.32
What I Saw in California
by Bryant, Edwin
- Condition
- Used - Near Fine
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- No Jacket
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- 1967
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- Hardcover
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Austin, Minnesota, USA
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A$22.02
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Ross & Hanies, 1967. Book. Near Fine. Hardcover. No jacket. . Item Price
A$22.02
WHAT I SAW IN CALIFORNIA: BEING THE JOURNAL OF A TOUR, BY THE EMIGRANT ROUTE AND SOUTH PASS OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
by Bryant, Edwin
- Condition
- Used - Very Good+
- Jacket Condition
- Very Good
- Edition
- Limited Edition
- Published
- 1967
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Quantity Available
- 1
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Cambridge, Minnesota, USA
- Item Price
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A$23.52
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Minneapolis, Minn: Ross & Haines, 1967. Limited Edition . Hardcover. Very Good+/Very Good. 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall. Cloth; 468 pp. indexed. No ownership or other markings. Tight binding. Dust jacket is proce-clipped and presents nicely in fresh mylar. One of 1500 copies of the Ross & Haines reprint. Ships within 24 hours!
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What I Saw in California [prospectus].
by Bryant, Edwin.
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San Francisco, California, USA
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A$47.20
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Palo Alto, Calif.: Lewis Osborne, [n.d.]. Prospectus. 8vo. Two folded sheets. The Gold Rush adventures of an Alcalde of San Francisco. [This is an advertisement for the book, not the book itself]. Item Price
A$47.20
What I Saw in California
by Bryant, Edwin. Introduction by Thomas D. Clark
- Condition
- Used - Good
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- N/A
- Published
- 1985
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- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9780803260702
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- 1
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Cerrillos, New Mexico, USA
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A$15.73
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Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1985. Paperback. Good/N/A. A little soiling to spine; wrappers sunned, handled, edgeworn, bumped and split at corners; page edges tanned and lightly soiled, page corners lightly bumped, ink stamp inside front cover. Size: 8vo
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