[Rarebooks] FS: 9 Works by John Muir

Wed Aug 21 16:47:50 EDT 2013

We are pleased to  offer nine works by John Muir:

1. Muir, John. THE CRUISE OF THE CORWIN. JOURNAL OF THE ARCTIC EXPEDITION OF 1881 IN SEARCH OF DE LONG AND THE JEANNETTE. William Frederic Badè, ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1917. xxxii, 279 pp. Illus. with 21 b/w plates. 8vo. Gray cloth, color image mounted on front board, top edge gilt. First Trade edition. Muir kept a journal of this 1881 cruise. Four of the photographs are by Edward S. Curtis. Provenance: From the library of Kenneth E. Hill, with his bookplate. A very good copy, minor edge wear, owner's name and small bookplate on front pastedown, no dust jacket. BAL 14775 [40305] $40.00*
image at: http://www.kaaterskillbooks.com/shop/kaaterskill/40305.html

2. Muir, John. THE MOUNTAINS OF CALIFORNIA. New York: Century, 1894. xiii, 381 pp. Illus. with 53 b/w plates and drawings. Sm. 8vo. Tan cloth, gilt titles, and decorations, top edge gilt. First edition, first state. Muir's "book length tribute to the beauties of the Sierras. He recounts not only his own journeys by foot through the mountains, glaciers, forests, and valleys, but also the geological and natural history of the region, ranging from the history of glaciers, the patterns of tree growth, and the daily life of animals and insects. While Yosemite naturally receives great attention, Muir also expounds on less well known beauty spots," (LOC). Provenance: From the library of Kenneth E. Hill, with his bookplate. Spine a bit darkened, slight roll, contemporary gift inscription on free front end-paper, and small bookplate on front pastedown, light foxing throughout though heavier on end-papers and edges, overall still about very good. BAL 14746. Zamorano 80: 56. Neate M166. [40311] $600.00*
image at: http://www.kaaterskillbooks.com/shop/kaaterskill/40311.html

3. Muir, John. NOTES ON MY JOURNEYING IN CALIFORNIA'S NORTHERN MOUNTAINS. Lawrence W. Jordan, Jr., intro. [Ashland, OR.]: Lewis Osborne, 1974. 77 pp. Illus. with 11 b/w reproductions and 2 plates, map endpapers. Sm. 4to. Cloth. First edition. No. 326 of 700 copies. A fine copy. No dust jacket as issued. [40401] $25.00*
image at: http://www.kaaterskillbooks.com/shop/kaaterskill/40401.html

4. Muir, John. OUR NATIONAL PARKS [EXTRA ILLUSTRATED]. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, (1901). 370 pp. Illus. with 12 b/w plates. 8vo. Green cloth with gilt titles, front board decorated in gilt and black, top edge gilt. Later printing. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author to Mr. & Mrs. Ray W. Simonds "with kindest regards and many pleasant memories," dated 1907. Three tipped-in photographs, two of Muir with Simonds (who would have been approximately 28 years old given his graduation from Berkeley High School in 1896), both outdoors; the third is a sweeping landscape view of one of the national parks. It is unclear how the Simonds' and Muir met, but they did so on may occasions, and correspondence to this effect can be found in letters to Muir by Edith (Mrs. Ray) Simonds in the Muir archives. Books signed by Muir are uncommon and there are no auction records for a signed copy of this work in any edition in at least the last fifty years. Provenance: From the library of Kenneth E. Hill, with his bookplate. A very good copy, joint just starting after title page, boards rubbed, small faint circular stain to front board, small bookplate, occasional offsetting from mounted photos and small advertisement for book (which is laid in loose). BAL 14752. [40309] $3000.00*
image at: http://www.kaaterskillbooks.com/shop/kaaterskill/40309.html

5. Muir, John. THE OVERLAND MONTHLY. DEVOTED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE COUNTRY. APRIL 1873, VOL. 10, NO. 4; [WITH] AUGUST 1873, VOL. XI, NO. 2; [WITH] SEPTEMBER 1874, VOL. 13, NO. 3. [THREE VOLUMES]. San Francisco: John H. Carmany, 1873, 1874. 8vo. Paper wrappers, in modern slipcase with gilt title. First edition. Three early periodical publications by Muir who was just beginning to feel his way as a writer: 1. A Geologist's Winter Walk (which was submitted without his prior knowledge); 2. Exploration in the Great Tuolumne Cañon; and 3. By-ways of Yosemite Travel. Bloody Cañon. Complete with all inserted advertisements. Overall very good, spine ends and wrappers chipped, rear wrapper to last issue nearly detached; one issue with Collection sticker on first page; contents clean; in a near fine slipcase. [40453] $125.00*
image at: http://www.kaaterskillbooks.com/shop/kaaterskill/40453.html

6. Muir, John. RAMBLES IN KING'S RIVER COUNTRY. Alan Ross, foreword. Ashland, OR: Lewis Osborne, 1977. 57 pp. Illus. with 1 color map, 14 b/w plates and reproductions. 8vo. Quarter cloth over brown patterned paper covered boards illustrated in gilt. First edition thus (reissue). No. 250 of a limited edition of 600 copies. Muir's work in support of the establishment of Kings Canyon National Park was first published in 1891. A fine copy in publisher's original plain white dust jacket. [40421] $25.00*
image at: http://www.kaaterskillbooks.com/shop/kaaterskill/40421.html

7. Muir, John. THE STORY OF MY BOYHOOD AND YOUTH. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1913. vii, 294 pp. Illus. with 10 b/w plates. 8vo. Green cloth stamped in black and gilt, gilt titles, top edge gilt. First edition, first state. Nine of the plates are from sketches by Muir, who "wrote this autobiographical account near the end of his life about his childhood in Dunbar, Scotland, his immigration to America (1849), his adolescence on a pioneer farmstead near Kingston, Wisconsin, and his student years at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. The Story of My Boyhood and Youth reveals the evolution of Muir's scientific curiosity and the beginnings of his reverential attitude towards nature. Treating his encounters with wildlife as high adventure, he gives especially informed attention to bird life in both Scotland and Wisconsin," (LOC). Provenance: From the library of Kenneth E. Hill, with his bookplate. A very good+ copy, minor rubbing, small bookplate and owner's name on end-papers. BAL 14768. [40310] $150.00*
image at: http://www.kaaterskillbooks.com/shop/kaaterskill/40310.html

8. Muir, John. A THOUSAND-MILE WALK TO THE GULF. William Frederic Bade, intro. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1916. xxvii, 220 pp. Illus. with 12 b/w plates and 1 map. 8vo. Cloth, top edge gilt, with colored half-tone image on front board. First Trade edition. Muir's first adventure, in 1867, into the world of nature that would become his life thereafter. Also published in a large paper edition. Provenance: From the library of Kenneth E. Hill, with his bookplate. Uncommon in the scarce fragile dust jacket. A very good+ copy, small bookplate on front pastedown, in a very good- dust jacket with small chips to the top edge, archival repair to tear on spine, small chip to lower spine, and large chip to upper rear panel, but still quite presentable. BAL 14773. [40296] $250.00*
image at: http://www.kaaterskillbooks.com/shop/kaaterskill/40296.html

9. Muir, John. TRAVELS IN ALASKA. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1915. ix, [1] p., 2 l., 3-326, [4] pp. Illus. with 12 b/w photographic plates by Herbert Gleason. 8vo. Gray-green cloth with color halftone mounted on front board, top edge gilt. First edition. This is a first printing of the trade format edition, one of 2,640 copies according to Blanck, printed in gray-green cloth; a limited large paper edition of 450 copies in green paper was also printed. The manuscript was prepared for publication by Mrs. Marion Randall Parsons, as noted in the preface, as Muir had died over a year earlier. A very good copy, spine ends rubbed, small bump to corners, and light scuffing on rear board. BAL 14771. Biodiversity Heritage Library 1874. Neate M169. [40482] $275.00*
image at: http://www.kaaterskillbooks.com/shop/kaaterskill/40482.html

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Charles Kutcher
Kaaterskill Books
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