Jedediah Smith and his Maps of the American West
San Francisco: California Historical Society, 1954. Large folio (43 x 28 cm). [1-8] 1-86 [87-88 blank, 7 facsimile maps (6 folded) three in pocket at rear. Printed in red and black. Original red cloth. A few scuffs to cloth, internally fine. Item #410208
One of 530 copies printed by Lawton R. Kennedy. Includes the first publication of the "Frémont-Gibbs-Smith" map, the earliest record of Smith's explorations, found in 1953 by Wheat in the collections of the American Geographical Society. "The most respected and most widely traveled Western explorer of his era (1822-1831), Jedediah Strong Smith passed from the scene when only thirty-two years of age, and both the man and his extraordinary career were long largely forgotten. Today, however, Smith is accorded a place in American exploration overshadowed only by Lewis and Clark. As a single figure he stands second to none; as a cartographer his achievements were unequaled for almost a generation" (prospectus).
Price: $500.00