Incidents of travel in Yucatan

New York: Harper, 1843. FIRST EDITION. With 120 engravings, many full-page, plus 2 large folding frontispieces and folding map. Original publisher’s cloth, gilt-decorated front covers and spine, head and foot of spines worn; interior foxed (though not nearly as bad as many copies). First edition of the travels of John Stephens and William Catherwood to Central America starting in 1839. This popular work provided the first glimpses of Mayan culture to the public. Based upon the detailed descriptions of Mayan archaeology and the superb illustrations based upon Dagerreotype views and drawings by Catherwood, all future works on the Mayan people were based upon these accounts.

Stephens’ first journey, originally a diplomatic visit on behalf of President Van Buren, was cut short by his illness, and his first work on Central and South America was published in 1841. This, the narrative of his second trip, became the inspiration for a generation of travelers to the area. They account for over forty ruins, including illustrating imposing temples, pyramids, and other structures built by a nearly extinct Mayan population. Catherwood, an English artist, here set the standard for archaeological illustration.