Literary Industries; A Memoir

San Francisco: The History Company, 1891. First Edition. Cloth. Near fine. The first edition of Literary Industries by Hubert Howe Bancroft.. Octavo, vii, 808pp. Red cloth, title stamped in gilt. Floral endpapers. Includes dozens of illustrated plates, all with tissue covers. Solid text block. All edges gilt. Faint rubbing to heel of spine, a bright, near fine example. Published simultaneously with the New York edition from Harper & Brothers in 1891. Hubert Howe Bancroft (1832-1918) was an American historian, publisher, and bookman known for his extensive works on the history of the western United States, Mexico, and Central America. He amassed a vast collection of historical documents, which he used to produce a 39-volume history series covering the settlement and development of the West. His most notable work, History of the Pacific States of North America, was compiled with the help of assistants. Bancroft's collection became the foundation of the Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley.