"IMPORTANT MILESTONE IN THE
CARTOGRAPHIC DEVELOPMENT &
ACCURATE DELINEATION OF
THE SOUTHWEST" (WHEAT)
101. EMORY, W. H. Notes of a Military
Reconnaissance, from Fort Leavenworth, in Missouri, to San
Diego, in California, Including Part of the Arkansas, Del
Norte, and Gila Rivers.... Washington: HRED41, 1848.
614 pp., 64 lithographed plates (views, Native Americans,
natural history), 3 battle plans, 3 folding lithographed
maps, including the large-scale Military Reconnaissance
of the Arkansas, Rio del Norte and Rio Gila by W. H.
Emory...Assisted by...J. W. Abert and W. G., and...W. H.
Warner and Mr. Norman Bestor.... (77.1 x 139.1 cm;
30-1/4 x 64-3/4 inches). Thick 8vo, original brown cloth,
printed paper spine label. Other than occasional mild
foxing (much less than usual), an exceptionally fine copy,
the binding wonderfully well-preserved, plates in the
preferred state. The large map (frequently wanting and here
supplied from another copy) is in excellent condition.
Preserved in a dark brown cloth slipcase. Pingenot
purchased this book from the Dudley R. Dobie auction.
First
edition, House issue, best edition (additional
reports by Abert, Cooke, and Johnston; plates in the Abert
report unattributed and in superior style). Cowan, p. 195.
Edwards, Desert Voices, pp. 54-55; Enduring
Desert, pp. 76-77. Graff 1249. Howes E145: "The plates
of scenery in the Senate edition were lithographed by Weber
& Co.; in the House edition these are usually all done
by Graham, though in some copies, the 24 plates in
Abert’s report were executed, in a superior manner,
anonymously." McKelvey, Botanical Explorations of the
Trans-Mississippi West, pp. 990-1018. Munk (Alliott),
p. 73. Plains & Rockies IV:148. Rittenhouse 188.
Schwartz & Ehrenberg, p. 278: "[Contains the] first
view of the Southwest." Wheat, Mapping the
Transmississippi West 505, 532, & 544: "Since Emory
was meticulous in his astronomical observations and because
of his extreme care not to include mere ‘imaginary
geography,’ the map possesses an importance much
greater than many of the more showy performances of the
period. Its carefully fixed points enabled other mapmakers
to orientate entire regions not hitherto properly tied into
known geographic positions. In many respects, Emory’s
map was the most important milestone in the cartographic
development and accurate delineation of the Southwest."
Zamorano Eighty 33: "A library of Western Americana
is incomplete without
it."
There are myriad issues and variants of this epochal
report, but an important consideration for the collector is
the quality of the plates, which in the present copy are in
their preferred superior state. Perhaps more important is
the presence and condition of Emory’s grand
map—the first printed map to show the Southern route.
With the discovery of gold in California, Emory’s
report and map became immensely popular, supplying detailed
information on the entire route relative to watering
places, roads, deserts, landmarks, Indians, plant and
animal life. This was the map of the day—for both the
armchair traveller and many an actual emigrant, who carried
it on the long trek to California. Though these intrepid
overlanders discarded many a prized possession in the
struggle across the treacherous desert, Emory’s map
was among the last material possessions to be
abandoned.
($750-1,500)
