New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1872. A Delineation by Pen and Pencil of The Mountains, Rivers, Lakes, Forests, Water-Falls, Shores, Cañons, Valleys, Cities, and Other Picturesque Features of Our Country. With Illustrations on Steel and Wood, by Eminent American Artists. 2 volumes: 568 p., 576 p.: tissue-guarded steel-engraved frontispieces and added engraved title pages, 45 additional leaves of tissue-guarded steel engravings on heavy stock, many in-text wood engravings; 34 cm. (13¼ inches). No dust jackets. Half dark green morocco with black morocco-grain cloth over boards. Spine divided into 6 compartments by raised bands. Gilt-stamped spine titles with ornamentation. Highly embellished gilt-stamped cover titles, suggestive of the Art Nouveau style that flowered in the 1880s. Boards (covers) have beveled edges. Marbled endpapers. All page edges gilt. This is one of the finest examples of books presenting scenes of the United States, produced after the Civil War. The American artists whose work is shown in the steel engravings include Thomas Moran, R. Swain Gifford, Harry Fenn, Granville Perkins, Homer Martin, Alfred R. Waud, W.L. Sheppard, and James D. Smillie. The American writers whose descriptions of the most scenic sights in the country are presented include O.B. Bunce, Constance F. Woolson, T.B. Thorpe, F.G. de Fontaine, Sallie A. Brock, W.H. Rideing, and R.E. Garczynski. The sights presented range from Niagara Falls and Mount Desert Island, to Lake Superior and the coast of Florida, to Mount Hood and Yosemite Valley. Urban views include New Orleans, Buffalo, New York harbor, Cleveland, and Milwaukee, as well as the Gold Gate harbor before the bridge was erected. In Very Good+ Condition: leather is rubbed, primarily at the joints; the front joint of vol. 1 has separated for 7 cm. (under 3 inches) from the tail, with a corresponding tear of 2 cm. (3/4 inch) into the spine from the top of the separation. The hinges are strong. Pages and plates are clean and tight, without foxing, dampstaining, or other soiling. An exceptionally bright and solid copy.. Very Good+.