Historia de la Antigua o Baja California with Relacion Historica de la Vida del Venerable Padre Fray Junipero Serra

[vi]+123+[3] pages. Quarto (10 1/2" x 7") Bound in quarter leather with marbled paper boards. Clavijero's History of Baja California, which was first published in Italian, then in English, then a Madrid edition and then the Mexican edition. [Handbook of Middle American Indians, Volume 13, page 293] First Mexican edition.

Clavijero, a Mexican native, was exiled with the other Jesuits in the 1760s, and lived in Italy thereafter. His history of Mexico is considered one of the best of the early histories of the subject. His history of Baja California is the first such, and contains passages relating to the foundation of the mission at San Francisco, as well as material on Kino and Salvatierra. Translated from the Italian manuscripts by Nicoles Garcia de San Vincente. The Palou volume is essential reading for the early history of Northern California. This is the second edition of the Vida of Serra. First published 1787. Francisco Palou (1723-1789) was a Franciscan missionary, administrator, and historian on the Baja California peninsula and in Alta California. Father Palou made significant contributions to the Alta California and Baja California mission systems.

Condition:

Damp stains to end papers and heal edge of title page, spine ends and corners professionally repaired Over all a very good copy of a scarce item.