Williams, John Lee | The Siebert copy

Williams, John Lee

A View of West Florida, Embracing Its Geography, Topography, &c. … Philadelphia: Printed for H.S. Tanner and the Author, 1827

8vo (238 x 148 mm, uncut). Folding hand-colored map, title-page; short closed tear to right margin and chip to head of map not affecting print, pencil to front pastedown, foxed and toned. Contemporary quarter muslin over green boards, spine with orange paper label lettered in black; front hinge loose, worn at extremities with some loss at head and tail of spine, soiling to boards.

First edition. Williams, a Pensacola attorney, details the ever-increasing population of white settlers throughout Florida and predicts great prosperity for all inhabitants with the opening of the canal across the peninsula. Scarce: We can trace only four copies offered at auction in the last fifty years.

REFERENCE:

Howes W468; Servies 1357; Streeter sale 2:1217; Rader 3674; Sabin 104285

PROVENANCE:

Dr. Frank T. Siebert, his sale, Sotheby’s, 28 October 1999, lot 628