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.