Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley, Squier & Davis, Original, Vietzen

Description: Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley by E.G. Squier and E.H. Davis – 1847 This auction is for an extremely rare book in any condition of the “Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley” The book has been professionally rebound with hardcovers and some page restoration. There is extensive foxing throughout the book. I have seen other copies of this book with the same foxing. Front pages have some pieces missing and staining with restored backing to front pages. All pages are present. Foxing is an age-related process of deterioration that causes brown, or rusty spots to appear on paper, often in blotches or spidery spots on old books. Foxing in this book has been stabilized. All engravings have slightly marked the opposite pages due to the nature of the ink used at that time period. This is normal on other examples I have examined. Two names wrote on front pages. A book with original hardcovers and some foxing is over $1000.00 if you can find one. This is an authentic 1st edition book published in Late 1847 into 1848This is a Vietzen museum book and part of his library purchased at his museum and estate auction and is not listed in the auction catalogs. “There is something special about just reading an original book of this kind from 1847” – The engravings are very bold and clear as to a reprint.Special Condition Overview of Book: The hardcovers are not original but restored are in good condition with the title and date 1848 on the spine. The inside second title page has the date of 1847 (late 1847 and 1848 being the publication). The book has no missing pages. The 3rd photo in my list of photos with a personal name at top has some small pieces missing at bottom and around perimeter of page. This page has much foxing (spotting) and staining due to age. The page is blank on both sides. This page has been restored with an archival laminate plastic for preservation. The 5th photo in my list shows an engraved plate of “Ancient Works Marietta, Ohio”. This page shows much foxing and staining at bottom. The page is archival linen backed fabric for preservation. Also in photo 5, the main title page with personal name at bottom has foxing and minor pieces missing around the perimeter of page. This main title page has also been restored with an archival laminate plastic for conservation. The main title page shows shadowing of ink from the previous page of “Ancient Works Marietta, Ohio” engraved plate. The entire book of engraved plates of maps, mounds and artifacts, shows shadowing on opposite pages. The 6th photo in my list shows the second title page with Accepted for publication by the Smithsonian Institution June 1847 at bottom of page and title at top. This page also shows foxing and staining. The 7th photo in my list shows shadowing of “The Great Serpent Mound” (pages 96-97) map engraving on wording of opposite page. Last pages of book (305-306) show foxing and slight pieces missing. The main body of book shows foxing and shadowing of engraved plates onto opposite pages. All of the engravings are very bold and detailed. Special Note: Over the past 50 years I have located and examined only four of these books in about the same condition and own two. “Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley” is extremely rare in any condition. The Museum of Lost ArtsSpecial Authors Limited Printing: My research indicates that this listed book was authorized by the authors for a limited printing of less than fifty books. This I know because my other original copy with the original hardcovers has a printed and attached plate inside cover page. The plate states: “The Smithsonian Institution having printed an edition of the memoir for distribution, permit the authors to strike off from the same type and plates, a small edition for their own benefit – Joseph Henry, Secretary Smithsonian Institution – Washington, September, 1848” The authors limited printing has two title pages and are different than the printing by the Smithsonian. The archives of the Smithsonian shows the book with only one title page that reads: “Smithsonian – Contributions to Knowledge – Vol. 1 – Smithsonian Institution, Organized, A.D. 1846, City of Washington, Published by the Smithsonian Institution, MDCCCXLV111”. This title page is very different than the limited printing by the authors (examine my listed photos to notice the difference). This authors limited edition is exceeding rare in any condition. The Museum of Lost Arts Shipping on the book is free. We ship only in the U.S.A. - NO INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING. If you have any questions please contact me before buying this book. “Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley” by Ephraim George Squier and Edwin Hamilton Davis Comprises the Results of Extensive Original Surveys, Sketches and Explorations of earthwork mounds across much of the Eastern United States. The book is a landmark in American scientific research, the study of the prehistoric indigenous mound builders of North America, and the early development of archaeology as a scientific discipline. Originally published in 1847, it was the Smithsonian Institution's (organized in 1846) first publication and the first volume in its Contributions to Knowledge series. The book has 306 pages, 48 lithographed maps and plates, and 207 wood engravings. A 150 anniversary paperback edition was published in 1998 by the Smithsonian with an extensive introduction by David J. Meltzer, professor of anthropology at Southern Methodist University. Early in the 19th century, as wagon trains streamed into the Ohio and Mississippi valleys, settlers came upon vast numbers of abandoned earthworks that they attributed to a sophisticated race of long-gone mound builders. Giving rise to often questions about human origins, the mounds and the artifacts found within them became the focus of early American efforts toward a science of archaeology. “Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley” was the first major work as the first publication of the newly established Smithsonian Institution. It remains today both a key document in the history of American archaeology and the primary source of information about hundreds of mounds and earthworks in the Eastern United States, most now vanished. The authors set high scientific standards for their time. Their work provides insight into some of the conceptual, methodological, and substantive issues that archaeologists still confront. The book includes numerous maps, plates, and engravings. A major part of Squier and Davis's achievement was their classification of sites according to apparent function, such as burial grounds, effigies (artifacts), fortifications, and building foundations. Their observation and descriptive skills of the records they made regarding excavation methods and recovery techniques related to mound structures and artifacts were of great importance to the relatively new fields of study in both archaeology and anthropology in the United States. Ancient Monuments provides descriptions of earthworks, mound sites across much of the Eastern United States. The hundreds of earthworks which Squier and Davis personally surveyed and sketched were located primarily in and around Ross County in southern Ohio. Ross County includes Mound City and Seip Earthworks (both now part of Hopewell Culture National Historical Park). They also personally explored the nearby Serpent Mound, Fort Ancient, and Newark Earthworks. The material for all their Kentucky sites was taken from the manuscripts of the late C. S. Rafinesque. James McBride, John Locke, and Charles Whittlesey, among others, contributed additional first-hand reports, but the scope of Squier and Davis's own work was unprecedented. When the book was published, Squier and Davis's work immediately became a milestone in a still-developing field. Established then as a primary source on the subject of the mound builders, it retains that position because of the breadth of its coverage. Davis and Squier Edwin Hamilton Davis, 1811-1888 was born in Hillsboro, Ohio, just a few miles from Chillicothe. As he grew up, he became familiar with the many mounds and earthworks of the Scioto River valley. Seeing these features as a young man inspired his deep curiosity about them. At the time, archaeology had not yet developed as an academic discipline. Davis explored the mounds while a student at Kenyon College and wrote a paper on the subject which he read at his commencement. Daniel Webster, an early member of the American Antiquarian Society, heard the paper and encouraged Davis to continue his research. After graduating from medical college and establishing a practice in Chillicothe, Davis used his free time to continue his explorations. He collected artifacts he discovered in and around the mounds. Ephraim George Squier, 1821-1888 ten years younger than Davis, was born in Bethlehem, New York. By the time he arrived in Chillicothe in 1845 as the editor of the weekly Scioto Gazette newspaper, he had received training in civil engineering, education, and journalism. Squier was intrigued by the numerous prehistoric monuments in the surrounding area. His questioning of local residents about them failed to provide much insight. With his characteristic ambition, Squier decided to "take the compass and chain in one hand and the mattock and spade in the other" and begin his own research. When the two men encountered one another, they began to collaborate based on Davis's knowledge of the Scioto Valley sites and growing collection of artifacts, combined with Squier's knowledge of surveying and writing. They combined their joint personal interests into a formal project for the Smithsonian Institution. Information from: wikipedia.org and other sources arrowhead - artifact - Indian relic

Price: 850 USD

Location: New Castle, Pennsylvania

End Time: 2024-10-13T23:36:09.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 USD