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Commerce of the Prairies: Or the Journal of a Santa Fe Trader, During Eight Expeditions Across the Great Western Prairies, and a Residence of Nearly Nine Years in Northern Mexico
by Gregg, Josiah
- Used
- Good
- first
- Condition
- Good/Mylar
- Seller
-
Moab, Utah, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Henry G. Langley, 1844. Good/Mylar. Commerce of the Prairies: Or the Journal of a Santa Fe Trader, During Eight Expeditions Across the Great Western Prairies, and a Residence of Nearly Nine Years in Northern Mexico, Josiah Gregg, Henry G. Langley, New York, 1944. 2 Volumes. 5 x 7 5/8 inches. 320, 318pp.
Original publisher's dark green boards with blind and gilt-stamping on front and spine. Cloth is lightly rubbed and worn at edges with very light fraying. Several worn spots and small tears within cloth. Gilt remains fairly strong. Several signatures pulling but binding remains strong. Leaves are consistently toned at edges, but text remains quite clean. Ex-library James J. Hill Library, St. Paul, Minnesota with bookplates and perforated stamp on title page with remnant of library markings on spine. The landmark and fragile map has one archival repair at edge with slight loss of content. Minor separation at folds and inch tear at stub. In mylar wrappers. Good Condition.
First edition with six plates and two maps including the large folding map as called for. One of the most important books on the Southwest and "primary contemporary authority on the Santa Fe trade-route and traffic." (Howes)
Wheat calls the map entitled "Indian Territory, Northern Texas and New Mexico" a "cartographic landmark...from all viewpoints Gregg's map was an outstanding achievement." Eberstadt calls "Commerce on the Prairies" one of the best contributions to Southwestern literature that has ever appeared."
Gregg first traveled west in 1831 and soon found work as a bookkeeper for Jesse Sutton whom he befriended on the western journey. Gregg would go on to cross the prairie four times and even brought the first printing press to New Mexico in 1834. By working commerce, Gregg learned the customs and condition of affairs in the southwest, while learning the manners and lifestyles of Native Americans residents.
James J. Hill and family played a pivotal role in expanding trade throughout the northwestern United States through the development of the Great Northern Railroad.
Howes G401, Wagner-Camp 108:1, Sabin 28712.
Original publisher's dark green boards with blind and gilt-stamping on front and spine. Cloth is lightly rubbed and worn at edges with very light fraying. Several worn spots and small tears within cloth. Gilt remains fairly strong. Several signatures pulling but binding remains strong. Leaves are consistently toned at edges, but text remains quite clean. Ex-library James J. Hill Library, St. Paul, Minnesota with bookplates and perforated stamp on title page with remnant of library markings on spine. The landmark and fragile map has one archival repair at edge with slight loss of content. Minor separation at folds and inch tear at stub. In mylar wrappers. Good Condition.
First edition with six plates and two maps including the large folding map as called for. One of the most important books on the Southwest and "primary contemporary authority on the Santa Fe trade-route and traffic." (Howes)
Wheat calls the map entitled "Indian Territory, Northern Texas and New Mexico" a "cartographic landmark...from all viewpoints Gregg's map was an outstanding achievement." Eberstadt calls "Commerce on the Prairies" one of the best contributions to Southwestern literature that has ever appeared."
Gregg first traveled west in 1831 and soon found work as a bookkeeper for Jesse Sutton whom he befriended on the western journey. Gregg would go on to cross the prairie four times and even brought the first printing press to New Mexico in 1834. By working commerce, Gregg learned the customs and condition of affairs in the southwest, while learning the manners and lifestyles of Native Americans residents.
James J. Hill and family played a pivotal role in expanding trade throughout the northwestern United States through the development of the Great Northern Railroad.
Howes G401, Wagner-Camp 108:1, Sabin 28712.
Synopsis
Josiah Gregg was a sickly intellectual who decided to travel the Santa Fe Trail in order to restore his health. He ended up journeying back and forth along the trail four times in the next nine years, and he compiled Commerce of the Prairies from the experiences of these years as an explorer and trader. It is considered one of the most valuable and interesting chronicles of early American history, and covers a wide range of topics, from buffalo hunting and Indian fighting to gold mining and Mexican agriculture. While this book is used for reference by historians of the old West, it is highly entertaining as an adventure story as well: "...imagine our consternation and dismay, when, upon descending into the valley of the Cimarron, on the morning of the 19th of June, there suddenly appeared before us an imposing array of death dealing savages! There was no merriment in this! It was a genuine alarm -- a tangible reality! These warriors, however, as we soon discovered, were only the vanguard of a 'countless host,' who were by this time pouring over the opposite ridge, and galloping directly towards us..."Along with his own adventures, Gregg relates historical information he has gathered, as well as stories he has heard about other groups of travellers, some of which are quite horrifying:"The forlorn band were at last reduced to the cruel necessity of killing their dogs, and cutting off the ears of their mules, in the vain hope of assuaging their burning thirst with the hot blood. This only served to irritate the parched palates, and madden the senses of the sufferers. Frantic with despair, in prospect of the horrible death which now stared them in the face, they scattered in every direction in search of that element which they had left behind them in such abundance, but without success…[they] would undoubtedly have perished in those arid regions, had not a buffalo, fresh from the river's side, and with a stomach distended with water, been discovered by some of the party, just as the rays of hope were receding from their vision. The hapless intruder was immediately dispatched, and an invigorating draught procured from its stomach."When not in the midst of some exciting exploit, the author is very conscientious about recording the details of custom and costume in the lands he travels through, some of which can be quite entertaining as well as informative.While the author’s observant nature is beneficial to historians and to us as readers, it was not so well appreciated by the members of his expeditions. It is purported that Gregg drove everyone nuts by constantly stopping to take measurements and record observations. The members of one of his parties considered murdering him and depositing his body and his instruments in the river so they could make it to their destination before they ran out of supplies. However, he survived and continued to lead groups of emigrants until he died in 1850 guiding a prospecting party across the Coast Range in winter.
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Details
- Seller
- Stellar Books & Ephemera, ABAA
(US)
- Seller's Inventory #
- 1057
- Title
- Commerce of the Prairies: Or the Journal of a Santa Fe Trader, During Eight Expeditions Across the Great Western Prairies, and a Residence of Nearly Nine Years in Northern Mexico
- Author
- Gregg, Josiah
- Book Condition
- Used - Good
- Jacket Condition
- Mylar
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Publisher
- Henry G. Langley
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1844
- Keywords
- Exploration Overland Josiah Gregg New Mexico Texas
- Note
- May be a multi-volume set and require additional postage.
Terms of Sale
Stellar Books & Ephemera, ABAA
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Stellar Books & Ephemera, ABAA
Biblio member since 2022
Moab, Utah
About Stellar Books & Ephemera, ABAA
Stellar Books & Ephemera specializes in the unusual--be it books, photography, manuscripts, letterpress printing or anything else that catches our eye. We maintain wants lists, provide reciprocal dealer discounts and provide dating for institutions.
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