The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft (39 volumes)
San Francisco: The History Company Publishers, 1883-1890. Leather bound. Octavo [23.5 cm] Light brown calf with raised bands, gilt stamped titles on black leather spine panels, and gilt ruled lines on the spines. Marbled text block edges. Most volumes are in very good or good condition. The leather spines and boards are rubbed and chipped. There are substantial areas of mottling at the bottoms of the spines, and sporadically on the boards. Some of the spines have thin losses at the ends, and there are sporadic cracks in the leather along the joints. The edges of the endsheets and flyleaves are darkened. There is a previous owner's name on the front pastedown of volume 6. The front board of volume 33 is nearly detached. Volumes 1 and 2 are in fair condition. The covers are hanging on by a thread, and the backstrips have almost entirely come away from the spines. Volume 26 is in poor condition. In this volume, the covers are completely detached, and the backstrip has almost completely come away from the spine.
The titles in this set include:
Volume I: The Native Races, v1: Wild Tribes; Volume II: The Native Races, v2: Civilized Nations; Volume III: The Native Races, v3: Myths and Languages; Volume IV: The Native Races, v4: Antiquities Volume V: The Native Races, v5: Primitive History; Volume VI: History of Central America, v1: 1501-1530; Volume VII: History of Central America, v2: 1530-1800; Volume VIII: History of Central America, v3: 1801-1887; Volume IX: History of Mexico, v1: 1516-1521; Volume X: History of Mexico, v2: 1521-1600; Volume XI: History of Mexico, v3: 1600-1803; Volume XII: History of Mexico, v4: 1804-1824; Volume XIII: History of Mexico, v5: 1824-1861; Volume XIV: History of Mexico, v6: 1861-1887; Volume XV: History of the North Mexican States, v1: 1531-1800; Volume XVI: History of the North Mexican States and Texas, v2: 1801-1889Volume XVII: History of Arizona and New Mexico, 1530-1888Volume XVIII: History of California, v1: 1542-1800Volume XIX: California, v2: 1801-1824; Volume XX: History of California, v3: 1825-1840; Volume XXI: History of California, v4: 1840-1845; Volume XXII: History of California, v5: 1846-1848; Volume XXIII: History of California, v6: 1848-1859; Volume XXIV: History of California, v7: 1860-1890; Volume XXV: History of Nevada, Colorado, and Wyoming, 1540-1888; Volume XXVI: History of Utah, 1540-1886; Volume XXVII: History of the Northwest Coast, v1: 1543-1800; Volume XXVIII: History of the Northwest Coast, v2: 1800-1846; Volume XXIX: History of Oregon, v1: 1834-1848; Volume XXX: History of Oregon, v2: 1848-1888; Volume XXXI: History of Washington, Idaho, and Montana, 1845-1889; Volume XXXII: History of British Columbia, 1792-1887; Volume XXXIII: History of Alaska, 1730-1885; Volume XXXIV: California Pastoral, 1769-1848; Volume XXXV: California Inter Pocula; Volume XXXVI: Popular Tribunals, v1; Volume XXXVII: Popular Tribunals, v2; Volume XXXVIII: Essays and Miscellany; Volume XXXIX: Literary Industries. Item #37998
Monumental collection of Western history. This set covers the history and to some extent the anthropology of Central America, Mexico, and the American West of the United States. Bancroft had formed a large collection of source materials on the history of the American West and decided to write the definitive work on the subject. He employed assistants to prepare statements of the facts for large sections of the proposed history. Originally, he intended to use these statements as the basis of a narrative from his own hand, but as the work progressed he came to use them with slight changes. We have his own word that the assistants were capable investigators and there is independent evidence to show that some of them deserved his confidence. Bancroft considered himself the author of the series. According to Howes: "Colossal co-operative undertaking; nothing approaching it has ever been attempted in this country". Flake/Draper 282, 283, 284, 286, 289, 290, 291, 292. Howes B87.
Extra charges apply due to size and weight.
Price: $2,000.00