The Isthmus of Tehuantepec: Being the Results of a Survey for a Railroad to Connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans

New York: D. Appleton & Company, 1852. Ex-Library First edition. Hardcover. g to vg. Quarto. 295pp., 15 plates, incl. frontispiece, with tissue guards, 1 folding map, 1 foldout of thermal curves (17 in total). Rebound in three-quarter black leather with gilt decorative ruling on covers, gilt lettering, tooling and decorative ruling on spine; raised bands. Protected by modern mylar. Marbled endpapers.

The survey was conducted by the Scientific Commission under the direction of Major J. G. Barnard, U.S. Engineers, with a resume of the geology, climate, local geography, productive industry, the fauna and flora of that region. Arranged for (truncated) the Tehuantepec Railroad Company of New Orleans.

Illustrated by 14 tinted scenic lithographs by J. Miller, executed by Sarony & Major, New York. An additional plate offers a geological section of the isthmus. The folding map of the world illustrates inter-oceanic routes and a folding diagram of the thermal curves of different seasons in 1848. Errata slip tipped-in on page 295. Blind stamps of the University of Atlanta on some plates and pages.

Binding with light wear along edges and light fraying at head and tail of spine. Mylar with small chips at corners and head and tail of spine. Some foxing of first and last few pages, else light and sporadic. Tissue guards foxed, lightly affecting the majority of the plates. Previous owner's name and date inked to top right corner of title page. One and a half inch closed tear to bottom of folding map. Binding in overall good, interior in good to very good condition. (Inventory #: 46160)