THE MARINE MAMMALS OF THE NORTH-WESTERN COAST OF NORTH AMERICA, DESCRIBED AND ILLUSTRATED: by Scammon, Charles M - 1874 TOGETHER WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE AMERICAN WHALE-FISHERY.

Quarto (12 by 9 1/2 inches) San Francisco: John H. Carmany and Company, 1874. Original First Edition. 319 + v pages, hardcover, bound in original green pebble cloth, with title in gilt on spine, and gilt vignette of a seal on upper front cover; 27 lithographic plates drawn by the author, and printed by Britton and Rey, plus many other fine lithographs (a few drawn by another hand) of whaling equipment, seals, dolphins and porpoises. Neat nineteenth century inked gift inscription on front fly leaf; minor normal shelf wear (not affecting the overall content, or binding that are both in very good condition); index.

"This book is the classic work on whales and seals along the Pacific coast. Captain Scammon began his whaling career soon after his arrival in California in 1852. His carefully prepared work is the most comprehensive book on the subject, and he investigated all the then known species of Cetacea as well as the Pinnipedia. His text on the whale fishery takes up the last hundred plus pages of… Read More

San Francisco: John H. Carmany And Company, 1874. First Edition, Later Printing. Hardcover. Quarto, 319 page, v; G; Brown cloth spine with gilt lettering; Rebacked with original spine preserved; Boards have light+ wear to top and bottom beveled edges, moderate+ wear (boards exposed) along fore-edge of front cover, moderate shelfwear and light soiling overall, light bumping to head/tail of spine, slight warping to back board, and a two-inch in diameter instance of water damage to back cover; Spine is slightly cocked; Textblock has moderate age-toning and foxing to edge, moderate foxing and light age-toning interiorly overall, and moderate shelfwear to bottom edge; Occasional pencil emendations from a previous owner appear throughout the text; All original 27 b/w plates present; NOTE: Shelved in Room A. 1349864. FP New Rockville Stock.

San Francisco: John H. Carmany and Co.; New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1874. First edition, 4to, pp. 319, [1], v (index); lithographic frontispiece of a whaling scene in the California lagoon, 26 lithograph plates (6 double-p.) by Britton & Rey, numerous wood-engraved illustrations in the text (1 full-page, and counted as a plate in the list of illustrations); original green cloth, gilt vignette on upper cover, gilt-lettered spine; light wear at spine ends, a few plates lightly spotted, but generally a very good, sound copy, without cracked hinges. At the back is a 4-page whaling glossary and a 7-page list of stores and other outfits for a first-class whale-ship, for a Cape Horn voyage. Cowan, p. 570; Hill 1530; Howes S-136; Jenkins, p. 143.