THE RAIL-ROADS, HISTORY AND COMMERCE OF CHICAGO [wrapper title]

Chicago, 1854.. 72pp. Original printed wrappers bound into modern cloth. Wrappers wrinkled, with paper repairs. Foremargin reinforcement on verso of front wrapper, similar treatment to upper margin of rear wrapper. Some moderate dampstaining, mostly in upper and lower margins. Occasional fox mark. Overall a good copy. An early history of Chicago, reprinting three articles that originally appeared in the DAILY DEMOCRATIC PRESS. William Bross and John L. Scripps (owners of the newspaper) claimed authorship of this title. This work is a forerunner of the long-lived ANNUAL REVIEW OF COMMERCE. It contains interesting material relating to the rapidly developing state of industry and railroads in Chicago, with commercial and agricultural statistics, and the like. The last five pages, as well as both sides of the rear wrapper, contain many local advertisements. Variant issues exist which contain folding maps, but the original edition was apparently not issued with a map, and both Howes and Byrd describe the first printing as without a map.

This copy contains pencil notes of bookseller Wright Howes on the front endpaper, noting that a copy without wrappers brought $38 in 1923. HOWES C374. CHICAGO ANTE-FIRE IMPRINTS 84. BYRD 2094.