A Tour on the Prairies [bound in GENUINE LEATHER]

Alexandria, Virginia:: Time Life Books, 1983. Bright, clean, square, and tight. No corner bumps. No owner's name or bookplate. No remainder mark. Fresh and crisp, apparently never read. The binding on this copy is GENUINE LEATHER, superior to the cheaper leatherette (imitation leather) found on later printings. Although at first glance, leatherette can look a lot like leather, it does not age as gracefully in the long run. Laid-in is the publisher's introductory letter, which says in part: "This leather-bound volume..." There is also the statement printed in the book on a preliminary page: "This volume is bound in leather." [These references to leather were later removed for the leatherette copies]. The binding is gilt stamped, and embossed with a handsome western motif (including rising sun, longhorn steer, tomahawk, and six shooter/bullets). A silk ribbon page-marker is sewn into the headband. All edges gilt. Attractive marbled endpapers. A volume in the Classics of the Old West series. A true narrative of the travels of Washington Irving in 1835 from Fort Gibson to the Cross Timbers in what is now Oklahoma. He traveled as secretary to Henry L. Ellsworth, the newly appointed Indian Commissioner. See Howes I86 [Final Edition I88]; Wagner/Camp/Becker 56. Laid-in is the publisher's introductory letter, which says in part: "Irving kept a daily record during their 10-week excursion... Irving's vivid descriptions of the rivers, plains and forests on the journey are unparalleled in Western writing. Even more valuable is his reporting on life among the carefree U.S. Army Rangers -- with whom the party traveled for protection -- and what he has to say about the Indians they encountered. A TOUR ON THE PRAIRIES is one of the few firsthand accounts of frontier life in the early 19th Century and a prime source for understanding the relations between the Indians and the whites before competition for the land brought on chronic warfare.". Facsimile reprint of 1835 edition.. Hard Cover. Fine condition./No Dust Jacket, as issued.. 8vo. xiii, 335pp..