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[M. Fiske]. A Visit To Texas: Being The Journal Of A Traveller Through Those Parts Most Interesting To American Settlers...
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Description
Texas Travel Journal with Some of the Earliest of Engravings of Texas Scenes Filled with Great Detail and Complexity
[M. Fiske]. A Visit To Texas: Being The Journal Of A
Traveller Through Those Parts Most Interesting To American
Settlers. With Descriptions Of Scenery, Habits,
&c. &c. New York: Goodrich & Wiley, 124 Broadway,
1834.FIRST EDITION. 12mo. [i-iii] iv, [9] 10-264, [4] pages (page 135 misnumbered 109). Frontispiece folding map titled "Map of the State of Coahuila and Texas" with original hand-coloring and outlined in wash and four copper-engraved plates. Original dark slate green textured cloth, spine gilt-lettered. Housed in a quarter morocco and clamshell.
This book has been attributed to M. Fiske, a Col. Morris, or Asahel Langworthy, although Jenkins firmly rejects the last possibility. This generally favorable opinion of Texas remains throughout the rest of his visit, except for certain negative experiences, such as a constantly contrary white mustang, and a few unpleasant encounters, such as a potential threat to colonists at Anahuac from Mexican troops excited by a drunken lieutenant. The same charity did not extend, however, to the company from which he supposedly had purchased his land.
Streeter remarks that the included plates are "thought to be the earliest to show sporting scenes in the West." They are assuredly among the earliest engravings of scenes in Texas, and among the early ones based on an eyewitness account (preceded only by Zebulon Pike). The images are diminutive, yet precisely engraved with much fascinating detail.
The map by William Hooker showing Texas land grants was first published as a separate in 1833 and again, with revisions, in Holley's 1833 book (Streeter 1135 & 1136). Hooker's map, based on Austin's great map but in smaller format, contains corrections given by Austin to Holley. The Hooker map in the present book does not have additional place locations in the 1836 Holley, identification of the Filisola grant, or manuscript additions. The map in the present book does not have some features that are described by Streeter (1136) as being in the separately issued Hooker map of 1833, which include the absence of crosshatching on the Burnet, Vehlein, and Zavala grants, among other things.
Jenkins writes, "This anonymous work is one of the most important accounts of Texas during a critical period in its history."
Condition: Binding with touch of wear to extremities, minor rubbing, a few minor spots to cloth. Pastedowns and endpapers foxed with the right corner of the rear endpaper torn away, some pale dampstaining to the lower portions of the text block with intermittent foxing or spotting to text end plates.
References: Howes T-145; Jenkins Basic Texas Books 209; Sabin 95133; Streeter 1155.
Provenance: "H. Gautier," early owner's signature on title page.
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
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 5
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