LYELL. TRAVELS TO NORTH AMERICA, 1845; AND 3 EDITIONS OF A SECOND VISIT...(8 VOLS)

Travels in North America...1845, 2 volumes, first edition, coloured folding frontispieces, further folding plates, illustrations in the text, PRESENTATION COPY INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR TO HIS YOUNGER BROTHER HENRY ON TITLE PAGE OF VOLUME 1 ("Henry Lyell | from his affectionate brother | the author | June 27 1845"), with the book-label of Henry's wife Katharine Murray Lyell (née Horner) on upper paste-down of volume 2, nineteenth-century half calf, marbled boards,  copy of letter by W. Ticknor about the book tipped-in at the beginning (? in Henry Lyell's hand), some leaves excised, bindings worn, stained and defective with upper cover of volume 1 detached and lacking lower cover of volume 2; A Second Visit to the United States of North America. 1849, 2 volumes, first edition, original brown cloth; another copy, publisher's advertisements on end-leaves; third edition, 2 volumes; all John Murray; 12mo (8)

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, when appropriate.
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Travels in North America  records not only Lyell's geological observations of the United states after his visit there with his wife in 1841–2 (where he gave the Lowell lectures to a vast audience in Boston) but also his opinions on the country's social and political problems. The botanist Katharine Murray Lyell (see also lot 375) compiled and edited her brother-in-law Charles's Life, Letters and Journals which were published by Murray in 1881. She later edited two volumes of letters. The excised leaves may have been used by Katherine during her editorial work.