Diary Abroad in 1889 March-September : A tour in England, France, Spain, Morocco, Algeria,, Tunis, Malta, Sicily, Italy, The Tyrol, Bavaria, and Germany [ Cover title Diary Abroad MDCCCLXXXIX ] WITH letter laid in

[ Boston ]: [ Heliotype Printing Company of Boston ], 1889. First Edition. Boards. Near Fine. First Edition. Very irregular pagination, especially in the front matter. Last page numbered 288. The many plates are in addition to pagination. Apparently complete, with no obvious missing material. 9 1/2 x 12 inches. 1/4 cloth over thin paper covered boards with printed illustration on front. Front "board" repaired, endpaper folds reinforced (we suspect this is needed on every copy found given the poor choices for the covers). Also laid in is a letter from J. F. P. Lawton, Secretary of Gorham Mfg Co Solversmiths, Providence, R.I., to "Friend Charlie" noting among other matters the difficulty with getting the book produced, and also the locations where notices had appeared. Finally, Lawton notes to Charlie that after Prentiss (publisher at "The Jeweler" in Chicago) reviews this copy for a notice of publication, that Charlie and his family "as special friends" will get to keep this copy. Letter folded as if for mailing, with several archival tape reinforcements to folds. Boards. In the December 1889 "Preface explanatory" the Lawtons note that Donald Ramsay, the manager of the Heliotype Printing Co. of Boston had charge of the reproduction of the handwritten text, re-done based on the traveller's weekly installments "with ink specially adapted to the process" and "with the additions of such quotations from eminent poetical and prose wroters as would add interest to the work." They further note that the method of reproduction is technically called "direct-transfer (a form of photo-lithography)" and note that the full-plate gelatin prints specifically termed "heliotypes" were excellent examples of "that superb method of illustration".

We assume that Harriet and Grace Lawton are likely children of J.F.P. Lawton and his wife but have been unable to confirm this.

Rare, with only two copies in OCLC (Providence Athenaeum and University of Delaware). The Providence Athenaeum Travel and Exploration catalogue (Cook: 1988) notes their copy was a gift of J.F.P. Lawton, and that there were only 50 copies produced.