CALIFORNIA BEFORE THE LEGEND

Buffum, E. Gould (1820–1867); Caughey, John W., editor

Six Months in the Gold Mines: From a Journal of Three Years’ Residence in Upper and Lower California 1847-48-49 [Fine Binding by Anson Herrick]

Los Angeles: The Ward Ritchie Press, 1959.
A FOUNDATIONAL EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT OF THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH, IN FINE-BINDING BY ANSON HERRICK.
A handsome modern edition of one of the important firsthand narratives of the California Gold Rush, here distinguished by a custom binding by Anson Herrick.

AN EYEWITNESS TO THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH.
E. Gould Buffum arrived in California as an officer with the New York Volunteers during the Mexican-American War and remained to become a miner and journalist. His account records California immediately before and during the transformation brought about by the discovery of gold.
Buffum describes prospecting along the Bear and Yuba Rivers, Weber Creek, the American River and other early mining districts, together with camp life, mining methods, violence, prices, travel, and the extraordinary growth of San Francisco. 

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: BOUND BY ANSON HERRICK.
+++ Finely bound by Anson Herrick in red crushed morocco with contrasting black morocco central onlay
to the front board, lettered in gilt with the title and an abbreviated form of Buffum's original subtitle. 
+++ Boards framed with multiple gilt rules and ornamental corner devices.
+++ Rounded spine with raised bands, gilt rules and repeated gilt ornaments. Top edge gilt. Inner panels and gilt dentelles; marbled endpapers.
+++ The black diamond-shaped title panel centered against the red morocco creates a strong visual treatment reminiscent of a nineteenth-century label or sign.
+++ Title page printed with decorative display type. 
+++ Octavo, approximately 8 by 6 inches 

CONDITION: NEAR FINE.  Faint sunning and occasional light wear to the binding. Spine shows mild toning and rubbing, with a small split or abrasion visible near the lower portion of the spine. Gilt remains bright and the decorative front board presents well. Interior appears clean and well preserved.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE: AN EARLY AUTHORITY ON GOLD RUSH CALIFORNIA.
First published in Philadelphia by Lea and Blanchard in 1850, Buffum's narrative belongs to the earliest substantial firsthand accounts of the California Gold Rush. 

FROM SOLDIER TO GOLD SEEKER:
Buffum's perspective is particularly valuable because he witnessed California on both sides of the great divide. He arrived during the Mexican-American War, served in the American military occupation, left the army at Monterey, entered the gold fields, and subsequently worked as a journalist in San Francisco. His narrative therefore encompasses both the discovery period and the rapid social and economic changes that followed. 

A FOUNDATIONAL CALIFORNIA NARRATIVE:
Early bibliographer Robert Ernest Cowan described Buffum's book as one of the principal sources of authority for the history of the period, reflecting its longstanding importance in the literature of early California. Modern historical studies likewise identify it among the first and most important published chronicles of the California Gold Rush. 

SUBJECTS: California Gold Rush, E. Gould Buffum, Anson Herrick, Ward Ritchie Press, John W. Caughey, California, Forty-Niners, Gold Mining, San Francisco, Sacramento River, Sierra Nevada, American River, Yuba River, Mexican-American War, Western Expansion, Bookbinding, Fine Bindings, Western Americana, Fine Bindings, California History, Gold Rush Narratives, First-Person Narratives, Travel and Exploration, Fine Press.

BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCE: For original 1850 text: Cowan p. 83; Howes B-943; Kurutz 97a; Wheat Gold Rush 28; Graff 472.

Item #22466

Price: $325.00