History of the Indian Tribes of North America
Thomas McKenney and James Hall
Fourth octavo edition of one of the most ambitious and visually striking works ever produced on Native American history and portraiture. Originally conceived as a monumental folio project, History of the Indian Tribes of North America preserves the likenesses of numerous tribal leaders and delegates who visited Washington in the early nineteenth century, many of whom were painted from life by Charles Bird King. The resulting portraits, translated into richly colored lithographs by J. T. Bowen and others, form one of the most important visual records of Native American leaders from this period. The work remains a cornerstone of Americana and Indigenous history, prized for both its historical significance and its remarkable plates. This, the fourth octavo edition, follows the first octavo edition of 1848-50 and the first folio edition from 1836-44.
Philadelphia, PA: D. Rice & A.N. Hart, 1858. Large octavo, publisher's original brown morocco, blocked in blind, spine lettered in gilt with five raised bands, all edges gilt; pp. vol 1: [ii], 333 + plates; vol 2: xvii, 9-290 + plates; vol 3: [ii], 233 + plates. Complete in three volumes, all plates present with tissue guards intact. Very good condition. Bindings tight and sturdy with some rubbing and scuffing to boards, front hinge of volume III exposed but sound. Owner’s bookplate to the front pastedown of each volume. A few scattered stains and thumb-soiling, else internally quite clean. A very presentable set of this incredibly important work.