Boston: James R. Osgood and Company, 1872. Hardcover. First edition of this engaging account by King of his experiences climbing and exploring in the Sierra Nevada [Howes K- 148]. Clarence Rivers King (1842 – 1901) was an American geologist, mountaineer and author. He was the first director of the United States Geological Survey from 1879 to 1881. He is well known for his organization of one of the principal post–Civil War geological surveys of the American West, the Geological Exploration of the Fortieth Parallel. The fact that, at the age of 25, he was given complete command of a five-year mapping project from the Sierra Nevada across the Rocky Mountains attests to a remarkable personality. His survey volume, Systematic Geology, ranks as one of the great scientific works of the late nineteenth century. His popular classic, Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada, begins with a summary of the geological history of the Sierras and then recounts King’s experiences between 1864-1870 in the range, both as a member of the Whitney expedition and as a mountain climber. Highlights include his ascents of Mount Tyndall, Mount Shasta, and Mount Whitney; survey of Yosemite Valley; and field trips in the Merced Valley. King provides anecdotes of the mountains’ people and natural history along the way [Wikipedia, Geological Society]. Bound in publisher's brown beveled cloth covers with gilt titling to spine. Covers are bumped, with wear to spine edges and slight abrasion to rear cover. Hinges are quite tender and front free endpaper detached. Rear free endpaper partially torn along hinge. Interior pages are tight and clean. Small illegible signature on title page.Evidence of label removed from front pastedown, and a handwritten label in its place states: "This book belonged to Carl Schurz whose library I acquired September 5th 1924. Paul Steinbrecker." This is perhaps the Carl Schurz who was a senator and Secretary of the Interior in the nineteenth century. Despite flaws still very good. Small octavo. 292 pages. TRAVEL/083021. Very Good. More

London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green, 1824-1828. Hardcover. First edition of this exhaustive account of the native plants of England. Founder of the Linnean Society, James Edward Smith (1759-1828) was one of the one of the most preeminent British botanists of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Following the death of Carl Linnaeus the younger, Smith purchased the collections of Carl Linnaeus. In 1788, Smith founded the Linnean Society of London with Samuel Goodenough (1743–1827) and Thomas Marsham (1748–1819), and became its first President, a position he held for life. His library and botanical collections acquired European fame and were visited by numerous entomologists and botanists from the entire Continent. Smith spent the last thirty years of his life writing books and articles on botany. His books included Flora Britannica and The English Flora (4 volumes, 1824 – 1828). In this work, Smith augments each volume's descriptions and observations with bibliographies of the books quoted in that book and with detailed indexes of the orders and plant names. Bound in contemporary three quarter brown leather with brown paper covered boards. Leather is stained, bumped and rubbed with wear to edges. Top of spine on Volume II is torn. Boards are generally good with some stains and abrasions. Some hinges tender. Pastedowns and free endpapers with some spotting. Text pages are clean and bright with occasional scattered spots. Very good condition. Small octavos. Volume I: xlv, 371 pages; Volume II: iii, 470 pages; Volume III: vi, 512 pages; Volume IV: vi, 373 pages. NATURE/082421. Very Good. More