Historical, Geographical, Commercial
Item #43634
WINTERBOTHAM, William. An Historical, Geographical, Commercial, and Philosophical View of the United States of America, and of the European Settlements in America and the West-Indies. New York, 1796. Four volumes. vi, [2], 590; [4], 493; [4], 519; [4], 516, [19]pp. plus twenty-five (of twenty-six) plates (one in color). Lacks the elusive "Plan of Washington" called for in the third volume, but usually not with the set. Contemporary tree calf, gilt, spine richly gilt, morocco labels. Hinges slightly worn, corners bumped. Contemporary manuscript note on front fly leaves. Scattered foxing, lightly tanned. Very good. Howes W-581. DNB XXI, pp. 693-94. Evans 31647. First American edition, although Howes lists an edition of 1795-96, in thirty-three weekly numbers bound in four volumes. He calls the present, enlarged edition the "best." Winterbotham was prosecuted for sedition for two sermons he preached in 1792. He was found guilty and sentenced to two years' imprisonment and a fine of 100 pounds for each sermon. He wrote the present work while serving time in Newgate Prison. It treats the discovery and early settlement of America, the American Revolution, each of the states of the Northeast and South, the Northwest Territory, Canada, and settlements in South America and the West Indies. Most of the handsome plates illustrate birds, quadrupeds and reptiles found in the West Indies. The color plate represents the tobacco plant, (third volume, opposite p. 427) and is the first color plate regularly published in an American book, here present in a very good impression, "Publish'd by Smith Reed and Wayland New-York."
Price: $3,000.00