Beschreibung:

LINFORTH, James (1827-1899), editor and Frederick H. PIERCY (1830-1891), illustrator. Route from Liverpool to Great Salt Lake Valley... Together With a Geographical and Historical Description of Utah, and a Map of the Overland Routes to that Territory, from Missouri River . Liverpool: Franklin D. Richards; London: Latter-Day Saints' Book Depot, 1855. 4 o (302 x 242 mm). Folding frontispiece map "Utah and the Overland Routes to it, from the Missouri River," with the Utah border and routes hand colored, 30 steel engraved plates, and woodcuts in text after Frederick H. Piercy (map discreetly reinforced with tissue along gutter, small stain on view of New Orleans, penultimate plate with pale stain offset from text, one plate with imprint shaved, generally a fine copy). Contemporary red half calf, cloth boards, gilt-lettered and -decorated on spine (some minor rubbing, inner hinges skilfully reinforced). FIRST EDITION IN BOOK FORM OF "SOME OF THE BEST WESTERN VIEWS OF THE PERIOD" (Streeter). Early in 1853, Samuel W. Richards and Frederick Piercy conceived the idea of publishing an illustrated travel book to encourage English Mormons to emigrate to Utah. At the time Richards was president of the British Mission, and Piercy was a 23-year-old convert of five years who also was a skilled artist and engraver. Financed by Richards, Piercy left England for the United States in February 1853. Before making the overland journey, he visited Carthage and Nauvoo where he sketched Carthage Jail and the ruins of the Nauvoo temple, and drew portraits of Lucy Smith and two of Joseph Smith's sons. Along the overland route he sketched the most prominent landmarks, and in Utah he drew a panorama of the Great Salt Lake City and sketched Brigham Young's portrait. In addition, Piercy wrote a detailed narrative of his travels, recording the sights and people, and his own impressions as he made his way to Utah. When he returned to England early in 1854, he gave his sketches and narrative to James Linforth to edit. Linforth was an assistant editor of the Millennial Star ; and to Piercy's narrative he added lengthy footnotes and a comprehensive summary of the LDS emigration up to 1855. The book was originally published in fifteen monthly parts, beginning in July 1854. "One of the most elaborately and beautifully illustrated of Western books. A large portion of the edition was water-damaged while in transit to New York. In some copies the map of Utah counties is hand-colored" (Howes L-359). Flake 46; Graff 2501; Sabin 41325; Wagner-Camp-Becker 259; Wheat Mapping the Transmississippi West 858.