Three Years in California

New York: A. S. Barnes & Co, 1850. First edition. Hardcover. Very good. 456pp. Octavo [19 cm] in decorative blindstamped green cloth with gilt spine title and cover device. In attractive modern slipcase of marbled paper over sturdy boards. The front pastedown has a previous owner's bookplate and the remains of a small label. The pages are lightly foxed throughout. The text block is sporadically cracked. The preliminary pages, including the frontispiece, have very light tidemarks. Complete. All plates present. With the Declaration of Rights in the Constitution of California (with a 5" closed tear). Wright Howes, 631. The George W. Soliday Collection of Western Americana (A Descriptive Checklist by Peter Decker), II, 233. Walter Colton served as the first Alcalde of Monterey, and was the co-publisher of California's first newspaper, "The Californian.