Sale 2455 - Printed & Manuscript Americana, September 28, 2017

59 c   (CALIFORNIA.) Chappe d’Auteroche, Jean. AVoyage to California to Observe the Transit of Venus. Folding plan of Mexico City. [8], 215 pages. 4to, later 1 / 2 calf, minor wear; front hinge split, minor wear to plan; bookplate on front pastedown. London, 1778 [700/1,000] first edition in english of a joint French-Spanish expedition to Baja California to view the Transit of Venus. The author contracted a fatal case of yellow fever two days after his observations. This edition includes an additional voyage to Newfoundland. “A thrilling account of a race against time to reach Lower California before the transit of Venus occurred”— Streeter sale IV:2443 (1772 original edi- tion in French). Cowan 1933, page 114; Hill 279; Howes C299 (“aa”); Sabin 12004; Wagner, Spanish Southwest 158a. Provenance: Christie’s Frank S. Streeter sale, 16 April 2007, lot 104. 60 60 c   (CALIFORNIA.) Cheney, Warren; and Harry Dix. Yosemite Illustrated in Colors. 13 chromolithograph plates on heavy board. [4] preliminary text leaves plus [13] leaves of verse printed on the tissue facing each plate and [13] leaves of illustrated descriptive text on boards following each plate. Large 4to, publisher’s gilt pictorial red cloth with green paper overlays,minor wear, backstrip ends repaired; rehinged,minimal wear to contents; early pencil signature on front free endpaper. San Francisco: H.S. Crocker, 1890 [600/900] The 13 chromolithograph views are the stars of this show, sketched by H.W. Hansen and Carll Dahlgren. Each is accompanied by a page of illustrated text byWarren Cheney and a poem by Harry Dix.The views consist of classic Yosemite scenes such as Sentinel Rock, El Capitan, and the Bridal Veil, plus one of the snow plant. According to a review in the Inland Printer (December 1890, page 242), each of the plates was printed in 17 colors, which required a total of 221 stones. 2000 copies were printed and the voluminous stones then destroyed due to the excessive storage cost.The production was offered in three bindings, the present being described as “full cloth, with fancy paper finish.”