Kanzas and Nebraska [with] Map of Kanzas & Nebraska - A nice example of the first book on Kansas.

Edward Hale

Publication Date: 1854

About this Item

The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 created the new territories of Kansas and Nebraska in the hopes that it would spur westward expansion and the development of a transcontinental railroad. This is one of the first publications dedicated specifically to these newly organized lands, published just a few months after the act's passing. The guidebook was written by Edward D. Hale, a Unitarian minister and author who did not travel the area personally, but instead relied upon the journals and reports of various explorations. The resulting narrative is the earliest written overview of the Kansas Territory, and one of the first to relate to Nebraska. It includes information of particular use to emigrants, including on Native Americans, local climate, major geographic features and the new political organization of the territories. Also accompanying the book is a small folding map of the region. It shows the route of Governor Steven's Pacific Railroad Survey (1853), Colonel Fremont's path, scattered forts, battle sites, and the line of the Missouri Compromise. With the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the Missouri Compromise was repealed and the balance of congressional power between slave and free states was permanently lost. The resulting settlement conflict that erupted across the area in the years leading to the Civil War was known as 'Bleeding Kansas.' Sheet Width (in) See Description Sheet Height (in) See Description Condition Description "First edition, complete with 256 pp. and 5 pages of publishing advertisements. Measures approximately 5" x 7.75." The sheets show scattered moderate foxing. Bound in original full green embossed cloth boards with gilt spine. Includes fold out map measuring 8" x 7.5, " expertly cleaned, with narrow margins, a bit of image loss in the lower left corner, and moderate extraneous creasing. Remains in good to very good condition.".

Seller Inventory # 1705

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Kanzas and Nebraska [with] Map of Kanzas & Nebraska - A nice example of the first book on Kansas.
• Publication Date: 1854
• Condition: Very Good