Harris, A.C.

Alaska and the Klondike Gold Fields. Containing a Full Account of the Discovery of Gold; Enormous Deposits of the Precious Metal; Routes Traversed by Miners; How To Find Gold; Camp Life at Klondike; Practical Instructions for Fortune Seekers, Etc. Etc.

Philadelphia: J. S. Ziegler & CO., 1897. First Edition, First Printing. True First Printing preceding the Premier Publishing Edition.

Original brown cloth with gilt-stamped title on front cover and spine, 7.5 x 5 inches, xxiv, 312 pages plus folding map of Alaska and the Yukon gold regions and color map of Alaska. 

The binding is tight and square, with minor rubbing to spine ends and corners; cloth lightly soiled and darkened with age. Text is clean and intact, with moderate age-toning to the margins. Includes detailed illustrations, maps, and practical guidance for gold seekers covering travel routes, mining techniques, survival strategies, and observations of local and indigenous peoples. 

Color map is torn from attachment point  – Map is complete some ‘invisible’ paper repair on the folds on the blank side.

A significant contemporary account of the Klondike Gold Rush, combining historical context with firsthand advice for prospectors.

A significant contemporary account of the Klondike Gold Rush, combining historical context with firsthand advice for prospectors.

This true first edition of Alaska and the Klondike Gold Fields (J. S. Ziegler & Co., 1897) offers a firsthand glimpse into the 1890s Gold Rush, providing both practical guidance and vivid anecdotal accounts. Harris includes varied testimonies of camp life, giving space to women, charlatan clairvoyants, and missionaries, while also describing indigenous beliefs, including totemic practices, shamanism, and cannibalism—filtered through the biases of the time. The work is a rich historical document, blending travelogue, ethnography, and frontier storytelling, making it invaluable for collectors and researchers interested in the Alaskan and Yukon Gold Rush era. According to Streeter, this is the true first edition, confirming its significance and rarity.

One of the earliest comprehensive guides to the Klondike Gold Rush, providing practical information for 1897 prospectors while also serving as a primary historical source for researchers and collectors. 

Subjects: Klondike Gold Rush, Alaska, Yukon Territory, Mining, Prospecting, Exploration, Indigenous Peoples, 19th-Century North American Frontier: History, Travel, Frontier Guide, Adventure.

Item #21018

Price: $325.00