Our Vanishing Landscape

New York: Wilfred Funk, Inc., 1955. Second Printing. Fine in decorated green cloth covered boards with dark green text on the spine and front board. A small quarto measuring 9 3/4 by 7 inches. In a very good+ unclipped dust jacket with modest wear and rubbing at the ends of the spine area and to the fore corners of the front panel. Signed and inscribed with a sketch of a covered bridge and "to Herbert Thoms" and dated "1964" on the first free end page. 107 pages of text and drawings by the author depicting the charms hat once graced the landscape of the US during the 1800's and later. The author's underlying theme with this book is his belief that farms and farmers were not only the pioneers of this country; but, created the foundation of the American countryside. In his richly illustrated tour of the American landscape of the mid-1800's he provides extensive graphic detail of farm houses and barns, out-buildings serving the farming family, gates, fences, toll houses, mills, canals and the boats used in them, milestones, devices and tools used to repair roads, plank roads, covered bridges, sleighs, sleds and snow rollers, road signs, taverns, inns, churches and then followed by an eight page "little gallery of sketches from the Vanishing Landscape".