Catlin, George:

$12,000 · Offered by William Reese Company · No longer available

LETTERS AND NOTES ON THE MANNERS, CUSTOMS, AND CONDITION OF THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. The first edition, first issue of Catlin's famous book (with errata slip tipped in at front of the first volume, and "Frederick" on p.104), an important association copy belonging to publisher John Murray III, whose ownership inscription on the titlepages reads: "From the author to John Murray. 1843 / From J. Murray to his friend, Augustus Samuel Twyford, 1872." Letters and Notes is one of the most important works on Native Americans published in the 19th century. Besides the description of his travels throughout the West, the book contains hundreds of line drawings of southern and western Indians, as well as two significant maps showing the locations of Indian tribes. Catlin made five journeys in the American interior over the course of the 1830s, during which he produced most of his famous portraits of Native Americans, and amassed a considerable collection of artifacts. In 1838 he assembled his original art and artifacts into his Indian Gallery, displaying it throughout the United States. When the United States government rejected Catlin's offer to sell the collection, he took his show to Europe, where he spent the next eight years exhibiting his collection and travelling with a delegation of Ojibwe and Ioway. The present work was published when Catlin came to London in 1840. He initially approached John Murray about handling the publication, but the publishing scion advised self-publis

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