American Scenery – 1840 | Engravings, Iconic Landscapes – 2 volumes in 5 tomes

An exquisite late 19th-century illustrated portfolio of views of stunning American scenes! Filled with the art of William Bartlett, American Scenery features views of iconic places such as Niagara Falls, Fort Ticonderoga, Hyde Park, Staten Island, Harper’s Ferry, Mount Vernon, and dozens more.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: American scenery, or, Land, lake, and river : illustrations of transatlantic nature
• Author(s): Nathaniel Parker Willis
• Illustrator(s): William Henry Bartlett
• Publisher: London: George Virtue
• Edition: First London edition, [1840].
• Binding: Hardcover
• Format: (4to), two volumes issued in five tomes
• Size:  11 x 8.75 in (27.9 x 22.2 cm)
• Collation: Vol. I: 140 pp; Vol. II: 106, [5] pp;
  • irregular pagination; both title pages and preface bound at end of tome 5
• Illustrations: 119 steel engravings (66 in Vol. I; 53 in Vol. II),
• Contents Include:
  • Niagara Falls, Mount Vernon, Fort Ticonderoga, Hyde Park, Staten Island, Harper’s Ferry, Yale College, Sing-Sing Prison
  • Prefaces and index bound at conclusion of final tome
• Reference(s): Abbey, Scenery, 204; Sabin 3784

Condition:

Good. Hardcover binding sound and secure with moderate fading and visible staining to covers. Foxing present throughout, typical of this issue, yet all plates remain intact and cleanly impressed. Binding structure remains firm with all gatherings present and complete.

Why Collect This?

• A foundational illustrated view book of American landscape art
• Early London issue of Willis and Bartlett’s transatlantic collaboration
• Contains over one hundred engraved plates of early American landmarks and scenes

Item Number: # 29655