1852 – Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Mexico – Illustrated Railroad Survey | First Edition

The Isthmus of Tehuantepec by John Jay Williams is an 1852 record of the United States survey of a potential railroad route across southern Mexico. Conducted prior to the Panama Canal construction, the United States was seeking a way to more easily distribute goods to South America and the Isthmus of Tehuantepec was the hope. This book contains engineering reports, route studies, and natural history observations drawn from the Oaxaca and Veracruz regions. The numerous full-page engravings are highly desirable, and the huge, folding map of the region is noteworthy and makes this book a valuable work.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Isthmus of Tehuantepec: Being the Results of a Survey for a Railroad to Connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
• Author(s): John Jay Williams
• Publisher: New York, D. Appleton & Company
• Edition: First edition, 1852
• Binding: Hardcover
• Format: (8vo), single volume
• Size: 9.25 in × 6 in
• Collation: 295 pp
• Illustrations: 17 engraved plates
• References: Sabin 3480
• Contents Include:
  • Engineering survey and cost projections
  • Botanical and regional data
  • Topographic and elevation profiles
  • Geographic assessments of the Tehuantepec corridor

Condition:

Very Good. Binding tight and secure. Minor edge and corner wear. Staining present on spine, with gilt largely faded. Pages complete and clean. Plates intact.

Why Collect This?

• Rare documentation of a U.S. attempt to establish a cross-Mexican rail route
• Retains highly collectable map

Item Number: # 50041