William Cullen Bryant’s “Picturesque America”, presented in two finely bound volumes (New York: D. Appleton), published between 1872-74. Thick folio, original publisher’s deluxe full blind-tooled morocco gilt binding.
The books are beautifully illustrated with over 900 wood engravings and 50 steel engravings of views across America. Following the Civil War, these images were in many cases the first glimpses that large numbers of Americans saw of various parts of the country. It was first published serially in Appleton’s Journal, then in parts as a subscription, allowing it to spread all over the United States.
“It is the design of the publication entitled ‘PICTURESQUE AMERICA’ to present full descriptions and elaborate pictorial delineations of the scenery characteristic of all the different parts of our country. The wealth of material for this purpose is almost boundless.”
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