A Topographical and Historical Description of Boston

Shurtleff, Nathaniel B.

Published by Printed by Request of The City Council, Boston, 1871

About this Item

Hard cover, 4to., in pebbled green cloth, with seal of the City of Boston in gilt to front, titles in gilt to spine, 2 preliminary leaves, [iii]-ix, 720 pages, foldout map of Boston Harbor. [Lacking one map.] The original Limitation Statement authorized 1000 copies to be printed by the City Council of the original in 1869; this is a second edition. Printed by Alfred Mudge and Sons, City Printers, Boston. Except for the large fold-out map by Will Burgiss, originally engraved in 1728 and reproduced in 1869, the book has no other illustrations, unlike newer editions of this work. Condition: Very Good Minus. Lacking map. Exterior with some rubbing. Otherwise solid, clean and moderately age-toned. Author Nathaniel Bradstreet Shurtleff (1810-1874) was briefly Mayor of Boston from 1868-1870. (He is described in the City of Boston Archives as more of an accomplished antiquarian than mayor.) Trained as a physician, he was a member of "countless historical societies." The book contains a well-researched, thoroughly detailed look at the earliest origins of Boston, the political and physical changes which shaped the lives of the inhabitants of one of America's oldest cities. OCLC 4422090.

Seller Inventory # 8841

Bibliographic Details

• Title: A Topographical and Historical Description of Boston
• Publisher: Printed by Request of The City Council, Boston
• Publication Date: 1871
• Binding: Hard Cover
• Edition: [Second Edition].
• Condition: Very Good Minus
• Book Type: Book
• Seller catalogs:
  • AMERICANA
  • HISTORY
  • Massachusetts--Boston