About this Item
Octavo, 104pp., illustrated with 41 (of 43) maps, and six engraved plates (Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Frankfort, Falls of Ohio, Scene on the Mississippi, and Gabrielle Menou). This copy lacks Ohio maps number 17 and 18, and is supplied with an extra copy of maps 19 and 20, which are laid-in. Mississippi map no. 23 has a large chip, affecting some content. The maps and plates are otherwise generally age-toned, but clear, with no notable dampstains; unusual for a book which was no doubt heavily used on a river boat. Contemporary binding of 3/4 brown calf and polka-dot boards shows commensurate wear, with significant scuffing and rubbing, but sound, with no repairs. Front inner hinge thinly cracked. A good copy. An early edition of this often-reprinted, highly practical guide to navigating a river boat on the Ohio River and the Mississippi, showing every shoal, falls, sand bar, and obstruction from Pittsburgh to the swamps south of New Orleans. First published in 1822, and reprinted under several different titles through the 1840s, the earlier editions are scarcer and show an earlier, less developed waterway. Though this copy is defective, it is nevertheless appealing in its contemporary binding. A number of ownership markings, and some mathematical scribblings, appear on the endleaves. Laid in are three holograph notes, neatly handwritten by one Solomon Rhoads of Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. One of these is a receipt for money paid to the Sheriff of Muhlenberg County "in the case of John Johnston." Another is an agreement or contract for Rhoads to be paid as a teacher in Muhlenberg County for three months in 1854, to be paid $50 for his services. The final document reads, "Nathan Rhoads Deceast [sic] Dr to Jerrey a man of Color to one Shuck Collar got in the year 1853. Twenty five cents $0.25." WIthout further context, the meaning of this document is not exactly clear to this cataloguer. Solomon Rhoads was married twice, the second time to Rachel Boone, the daughter of Squire Boone, Jr., and thus the nephew of noted frontiersman Daniel Boone. Altogether an interesting, if partly defective, copy of this important book of riverboat travel, with appealing provenance. Seller Inventory # 10906
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