Historical and Statistical Information, Respecting the History, Condit

Eastman, Seth. SCHOOLCRAFT, HENRY R. Historical and Statistical Information, Respecting the History, Condition and Prospects of the Indian Tribes of the United States. Philadelphia: Lippincott, Grambo & Co. [et al], 1851-57. 6 volumes, thick folio. Approx. 330 lithographed and steel-engraved plates, many tinted, some hand colored or chromolithographed, largely after artist Seth Eastman. Contemporary half dark green morocco, marbled paper sides, reddish-brown endpapers, in remarkably fine condition--bright and fresh. Engraved fore-titles moderately foxed; black-and-white plates and tissue guards range from entirely unfoxed to moderately foxed with most lightly foxed in the margins; color plates largely unfoxed, a few lightly foxed in the margins. First edition of the most extensive nineteenth-century study of the Native American tribes of North America, compiled under the direction of Henry R. Schoolcraft, longtime Commissioner of Indian Affairs, and profusely illustrated, largely from paintings and drawings by artist Seth Eastman. The six massive volumes were issued both in cloth and in half morocco, as here. Because of their weight, the volumes almost never survived in fine condition, and nearly every copy is either in a worn and shabby original binding or has been rebound. All exhibit varying degrees of foxing. The present copy appears to have had little if any use, and other than very light wear along the bottoms of the boards, the binding is remarkably fine and bright. A lovely collector's copy. Howes S183.…