A Description of the English Province of Carolana.
London: Oliver Payne, 1741. Small Octavo. 122 pages. With FOLDING MAP IN FACSIMILE. Hardcover rebound in late 19th or early 20th century three quarter brown morocco leather with marbled paper-covered boards. The binding is rubbed and bumped, at the front hinge is starting near the foot of the spine. Ribbed spine with the title in gilt and with "1741" at the foot. A sound copy. Endpapers browned. The front pastedown has the bookplate of "Breckinridge Long" showing a globe with a quill and an anchor crossed behind. The bookplate is signed (in the image) by F. C. Blank and is dated 1925. Long was Assistant Secretary of State under Woodrow Wilson and was the Ambassador to Italy (1933-36) under Franklin D. Roosevelt. An early signature on the title page appears to be "Robert D. Urquhart," and a signature at the top of the Preface is "Thos. S. Grimke, 1829." Grimke (1786-1834) was an attorney and social activist from Charleston, South Carolina. A copy here with fascinating provenance!
The text block of the book is sound, and the text is toned. Contains a large folding facsimile map of North America from the East Coast to the Rockies and north to the Great Lakes. Coxe had inherited a grant from his father and purportedly visited the region himself. Much of the book focuses on the Mississippi Valley area, although the does cover the southeast from the Carolinas to Florida and Louisiana. Whether from his own observations or from reports from hunters and explorers, much of the material in this book was new First published in 1722. The binding measures 7 7/8 inches tall by just over 5 inches wide. Item #100075
Price: $8,800.00