WASHINGTON
IRVING ASTORIA Or Anecdotes of an Enterprise Beyond the Rocky 1897 Two Vols
Up for
auction is a two volume hardback set entitled Washington Irving / Astoria Or
Anecdotes of an Enterprise Beyond the Rocky 1897“ by Washington Irving. Publish
in 1897 by G P Putnam’s Sons, New York.
Marron
cloth with gilt letting lettering on the cover and spine. Gilt on top edge.
Both
volumes total 780 pages.
“Irving
described Astoria as a romance of commerce and empire, “comprising the
adventures…of traders, trappers, Indian warriors, hunters and their habits,
characters, persons, costumes and descriptions of natural scenery, animals,
plants.” Irving had long supported the expansion of the United States and
migration to the West, as much for its romantic lore and adventure as for its
economic benefits. He wrote in the introduction to Astoria that “the grand
enterprises of the great fur companies…in the wild parts of our vast continent
have always been themes of charmed interest to me. The book was credited with
attracting countless settlers and their families to the Pacific Northwest, who
Irving predicted “would form the germ of a wide civilization that would carry
the American population across the Rocky Mountains and spread it along the
shores of the Pacific.”
Condition: Fair. Contents are clean and bright. No
handwritten marks on the text pages. Previous owners label on inside front
cover on both volumes. Owners name in ink on last page of both volumes. The
front and rear hinges are cracked on Vol II. The front hinge is partially cracked
on Vol I. The rear hinge is cracked. Archival tape to repair the hinges with be
included, should the buyer wish to repair the hinges. Please view the photos!
I ship
within two business days of your cleared payment.