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G.A. Scherpf. Entstehungsgeschichte und gegenwärtiger Zustand des neuen, unabhängigen, amerikanischen Staates Texas. Ein...
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Description
The Book that Inspired German Emigration to Texas
G.A. Scherpf. Entstehungsgeschichte und gegenwärtiger
Zustand des neuen, unabhängigen, amerikanischen Staates Texas. Ein
Beitrag zur Geschichte, Statistik und Geographie dieses
Jahrhunderts... Mit zwei Karten, von Texas, Rio Grande und dem
West-Land am stillen Ocean. Augsburg: Verlag der
Matth. Rieger'schen Buchhandlung, 1841.FIRST EDITION. 8vo. [i-iii] iv-vi, [2], [1-3] 4-154 pp. (without the final three leaves, two of which were ads). Two folding lithographic maps titled Karte vom Rio Grande und dem West Land am Stillen Ocean. Verlag der Math Rieger'schen Buchhandlung in Augsburg and Karte von Texas entworfen nach den Vermessungen, welche in den Acten der General-Land-Office der Republic liegen bis zum Jahr 1839 von Richard S. Hunt & Jesse F. Randel. Augsburg, 1841 Verlag der Math. Rieger'schen Buchhandlung, Lithographirt v. G. Stempfle in Augsburg. Modern half brown morocco and brown cloth. Housed in a modern quarter morocco and clamshell case.
This is one of the books that inspired German nobles to found the Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas. It is generally favorable in its view of Texas and the prospects to be found there. Opening by briefly covering the history of Texas and colonization in the area, the bulk of the contents concerns such practical matters as physical geography, crops that can be successfully raised, and living conditions. It concludes with a section of practical encouragements for the German emigrant going there. Ever since its publication, this has been a fundamental book on German emigration to Texas.
Scherpf chose the maps in his guide wisely, acknowledging the source for the large map of Texas as Hunt and Randel's superb 1839 map of the Republic of Texas. Like most cartographers of the day, Hunt and Randel based their map on Stephen F. Austin's pivotal map of Texas. They also used actual General Land Office surveys, thereby producing a map that was an advance on Austin. In this early German version, lithographer Stempfle reduced the scale of Hunt and Randel's map, while faithfully retaining the features found in their production. Among the features of note are the early location on a printed map of the newly established town of Austin, the superimposition of the new county lines over original land grants, and the depiction of the contested southern boundary at both the Nueces and the Rio Grande - all of which are preserved in this German version. Hunt and Randel chose to show both possible borders but hand-colored the Rio Grande as the border between the Republic of Texas and Mexico. The German edition is more neutral, simply showing the two possible borders. The other map in Scherpf's guide delineates the Transmississippi West, Northern Mexico, and Baja California. Scherpf's German lithographer used the inset on Hunt and Randel's map to create this map, and here it is presented at approximately the same size as found in Hunt and Randel.
Condition: Moderate foxing throughout text. Some minor foxing to maps, mostly along margins and folds.
References: Eberstadt, Texas 162:722; Howes S-157; Raines, p. 182; Streeter 1395.
Auction Info
2023 December 2 The Ted Lusher Texas History Collection, Part One Signature® Auction #6281 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
December, 2023
2nd
Saturday
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