Author: BRYANT, WILLIAM CULLEN (ED); OLIVER BELL BUNCE
Title: Picturesque America; or, the Land We Live in (Two Volumes, Complete) a Delineation by Pen and of the Mountains, Rivers, Lakes, Forests, Water-Falls, Shores, Canyons, Valleys, Cities, and Other Picturesque Features of Our Country.
Description: New York: D. Appleton & Company, 1872, 1874. First Edition Thus. First Printing. Hard Cover. Publisher's full brown leather, spine in six compartments separated by raised bands, gilt lettering on spine and cover, edges gilt, marbled endpapers. Frontispiece and additional pictorial title-page in each volume. Illustrated with 49 steel-engraved, tissue-protected plates on thick stock, in addition to hundreds of steel and wood engraved in-text illustrations. "'Picturesque America' was a conspicuous presence in the popular culture of the United States in the post-Civil War years. First published as a magazine series in Appletons' Journal, then as a subscription book, in parts, from 1872 to 1874 it reached a huge audience. Its voluminous text and over 900 pictures represented the first comprehensive celebration of the entire continental nation. By testifying to the variety, uniqueness and potential wealth of the American landscape and the advanced civilization of its cities, 'Picturesque America' laid the foundation for a resurgence of nationalism rooted in the homeland itself, rather than in institutions of democracy as would have been the case earlier in the century" (Sue Rainey, Introduction to "Creating picturesque America: monument to the natural and cultural landscape"). This huge two-volume set is most noteable for the beautifully reproduced steel engravings after the drawings of the artist, Harry Fenn, and by artists such as Thomas Moran, R. Swain Gifford, Granville Perkins, Homer Martin, Alfred R. Waud, W.L. Sheppard, and James D. Smillie. The superb plates were engraved by the finest artists, including Robert Hinshelwood, a Scots engraver who emigrated to America in 1835 where he established a considerable reputation for his work on landscapes. The views range from Niagara Falls and Mount Desert Island, to Lake Superior and the coast of Florida, to Mount Hood and Yosemite Valley. Urban views include New Orleans, Buffalo, New York harbour, Cleveland, and Milwaukee, as well as the Golden Gate harbour, before the bridge was erected. William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878) was an American romantic poet, journalist, and long-time editor of the New York Evening Post. Bottom edge of volume one is lightly worn, the ffep of volume two is loose, otherwise both volumes are tight, square, clean, and unmarked. Extremely large and heavy - additional shipping may apply. VERY GOOD. B&W Illustrations. 4to 11" - 13" tall. (viii), 568; (vi), 576 pp. Very Good with no dust jacket .

Keywords: William Cullen Bryant; Picturesque America; Illustrated Books; First Edition; Americana; Engraving; Maine; New York; Philadelphia; Illustrated Books Rare, Antiquarian, and Collectible Books


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