The California and Oregon Trail
New York: Putnam, 1849. First Edition. 8vo (193 x 137mm), pp. [4], 448, [4]. First printing, with pages 1–2 advertisements, lithographed frontispiece, and B.A.L.’s terminal catalog A with ads at back numbered 3–6, no type wear on pages 436–437, these being the hallmarks of the 1,000 copy first printing. All the other points that identify the 1st printing are present though in this copy the back ads are bound in. Original brown cloth, slightest bit of rubbing to spine tips and corners, else a near fine copy, and highly uncommon in this condition. References: Howes P-97. Wagner-Camp 170:1b. BAL 15446. Cowan, p. 474. Graff 3201. Rader 2608. Mintz 359. Rittenhouse 450. Holliday Sale 853. Larned 2062. Field 1177. Flake 3277. Grolier American 100, 58. Streeter Sale 1815. Item #1142
While Parkman's book exhibits the cultural biases typical of nineteenth-century travel narratives, its historical significance transcends these limitations. Parkman's ethnographic observations, though filtered through his Eastern perspective and prevailing cultural assumptions, nonetheless provide valuable documentation of Native American communities and lifeways at a pivotal moment before widespread colonial settlement fundamentally altered these societies. His tendency to romanticize indigenous cultures reflects the intellectual framework of his time rather than deliberate misrepresentation, even as modern readers recognize the problematic nature of such characterizations. Despite these shortcomings, the text remains an invaluable primary source that captures frontier interactions, landscapes, and cultural practices that would soon undergo dramatic transformation. Parkman's evocative prose and narrative style contributed significantly to America's developing self-conception, helping establish enduring mythologies of the West that would influence national identity for generations. Readers today can benefit from approaching "The Oregon Trail" as both a flawed cultural artifact of its era and an irreplaceable historical document that preserves observations of a transitional period in American westward expansion.
Price: $12,500.00