Basil Hall, Travels in North America 1ST ED. 2 vols. 1829 

This two-volume set is a rare piece of history. Captain Basil Hall (1788-1844) of England's Royal Navy, traveled for six weeks in the United States and then moved on to Canada, afterward writing a detailed account of his experience. This is the first edition of that work, in two volumes, published in Philadelphia by Carey, Lea, & Carey in 1829. Volume 1 is 332 pages and Volume 2 is 339 pages. Each book measures slightly under 4.5" x 7.5".

These volumes are filled with candid observations, which received criticism in the United States after publication.

Among other things, Hall described a slave auction in the District of Columbia (vol. 2, pp. 138-141), which led him to pronounce slavery "an evil ... so inconsistent with the principles applied to everything else in America."

He also visited Yale and had dinner with dictionary author Noah Webster, who contended that "his countrymen had not only a right to adopt new words, but were obliged to modify the language to suit the novelty of the circumstances" (vol. 1, pp. 318-321). Hall discussed the prevalence of alcoholism in the United States, commenting that "a deeper curse never afflicted any nation" (vol. 1, pp. 260-264). And he described in detail the operation of the State Penitentiary at Sing Sing while assessing the prospects for penal reform (vol. 1, pp. 31-44).

That's only a quick dip into the content. The prior owner, author J.C. Furnas (see below) apparently used these volumes as sources for his historical writing.

We are offering these books at a low price because of the condition. These volumes appear to have been rebound many years ago, but the binding is worn from use.

The front cover of volume 1 is missing.  Volume 1 contains extensive pencil notes on two blank pages at the front as shown. The front cover of volume 2 is loose and about to fall off.

Volume 2 is missing the title page and table of contents, and begins when the text commences on page 9. The pages of both volumes show foxing and occasional stains from ancient water damage.

In short, these volumes require some T.L.C. and our price reflects this need.

Previous owner J.C. Furnas signed his name in ink in each volume. We assume the pencil notes at the beginning of volume 1 are his. Joseph Chamberlain Furnas (1905 – 2001) was a freelance writer best known for his article, commissioned for the Reader's Digest, "---And Sudden Death!" This article brought national attention to the problem of automobile safety, and was the most-reprinted article in the Digest's history.

Furnas’s other works include a trilogy of social histories of the United States, The Americans (covering the period 1570-1914), Great Times (covering the period 1914-1929) and Stormy Weather: Crosslights on the 1930s (which covers the time between the stock market crash and the attack on Pearl Harbor.)

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Our father was a bibliophile who collected rare books, letters, and ephemera for more than 60 years.

For now and into the foreseeable future, we will be listing rare paper items from his estate.

Take a look at all our items for sale. We combine shipping.