Tales of Travels West of the Mississippi

Small 8vo (6x3 3/4), modern half cloth and boards with original spine cloth and leather label, illustrated, 162pp. Some internal soiling and mild darkening, but very good overall. While the author mentioned on the title page is Solomon Bell, that name was a pseudonym for William Snelling. Snelling (1804-1848) was actually a frontiersman that followed his father out west and lived with the Dakota Indians, and became something of an expert on western Indian tribes. He even fought in a campaign against the Winnebago in 1827. When he returned east he did a lot of writing, and became a prominent reformer and social satirist. After recovering from a serious drinking problem, he became the editor for the Boston Herald the year before his death. This work is considered the first American juvenile book on the Trans Mississippi region. It appears likely that some of the material in this work was adapted from his book Tales of the Northwest, which was also published in 1830. This book is a charming little work on the western frontier and lists some of the customs of many Indian tribes that lived west of the Mississippi. The work includes a small double page map that shows the United States west of the Mississippi, indicating few states, but illustrating the location of many Indian tribes. He also talks a lot about wildlife, and there are illustrations of rattlesnakes, cougars, buffaloes and bears. He describes a couple of incidents where grizzly bears ended up chasing men up trees, including William Clark from the Lewis and Clark expedition. A good deal of the work talks about the travels and adventures of Lewis & Clark. Howes S739. Eberstadt: 136:379. DAB Vol. IX.