A Visit to North America and the English Settlements in Illinois, With a Winter Residence at Philadelphia; Solely to Ascertain the Actual Prospects of the Emigrating Agriculturist, Mechanic, and Commercial Speculator

London: J. Drury, 1821. Very Good. London: J. Drury, 1821. First Edition. Octavo; publisher's plum blind-embossed textured cloth, gilt-tooled spine label; [4],224pp. (lacking errata leaf); lithographed frontispiece, thirteen plates (collated complete). Cloth expertly rebacked with original spine laid down, margins a bit scuffed with exposure at corners, brief discoloration to rear cover, remnants only of 19th-century ownership ex libris to front pastedown, scattered foxing to textblock, notably to plate tissue guards, else a Very Good, clean and sound copy.

Beautifully-illustrated account of pioneer life in early 19th-century United States. Of special note is the author's visit in the winter of 1820 to an "African Church" in Philadelphia, noting with a critical eye that "the general opinion in those States which have formally and publicly called the men of colour 'Men and Brothers' is pretty clearly shewn in various ways--separate churches--civil disabilities, besides such common advertisements in the daily papers as the following..." Here the author reprints word for word an Aurora advertisement selling Black children aged 13 and 20 years old (see pp. 176-7).

HOWES W229; SABIN 102514.