A series of annotated reprints of some of the best and rarest contemporary volumes of travel: descriptive of the aborigines and social and economic conditions in the middle and far West, during the period of early American settlement. Volume 25 is currently missing from the online collection.
Early Western Travels, 1748-1846 comprises thirty-one volumes which contain accurate reprints of rare manuscripts. They were carefully chosen from the mass of material descriptive of travels in the North American interior which this century of continental expansion (1748-1846) provided, and no manuscript has been included unless it possessed permanent historical value. The result is a series which the casual reader will find interesting, and the historian, teacher and scholar, will find invaluable, as it makes available sources of information without which the development of the West, its history and its people cannot be fully understood. The editor has provided numerous footnotes and an introduction to each volume which contains a biographical sketch of the author, an evaluation of the book reprinted and bibliographical data concerning it. The closing volumes are devoted to a complete and exhaustive analytical index to the entire series.
The works included naturally vary in literary merit and attractiveness, but many of them will compare favorably with the better class of modern books of travel, while some, like John Bradbury’s ‘Travels in the interior of America. 1809-11,’ to which vol. V. is devoted, are as fascinating as the best fiction. – Critic, 46:286.
Volume 1. Journals of Conrad Weiser (1748), George Croghan (1750-1765), Christian Frederick Post (1758), and Thomas Morris (1764)
Volume 2. John Long’s journal, 1768-1782
Volume 3. André Michaux’s Travels into Kentucky, 1793-96; François André Michaux’s Travels west of Alleghany Mountains, 1802; Thaddeus Mason Harris’s Journal of a tour northwest of Alleghany Mountains, 1803
Volume 4. Cuming’s tour to the western country (1807-1809)
Volume 5. Bradbury’s Travels in the interior of America, 1809-1811
Volume 6. Brackenridge’s Journal up the Missouri, 1811; Franchère’s Voyage to Northwest coast, 1811-1814
Volume 7. Ross’s Adventures of the first settlers on the Oregon or Columbia River, 1810-1813
Volume 8. Buttrick’s Voyages, 1812-1819; Evan’s Pedestrious tour, 1818
Volume 9. Flint’s Letters from America, 1818-1820
Volume 10. Hulme’s Journal, 1818-19; Flower’s Letters from the Illinois, 1820-21; and Wood’s Two years’ residence, 1820-21
Volume 11. Part I (1819) of Faux’s Memorable days in America, 1819-1820
Volume 12. Part II (1820) of Faux’s Memorable days in America, 1819-1820; and Welby’s Visit to North America, 1819-20
Volume 13. Nuttall’s travels into the Arkansas territory, 1819
Volume 14. Part I of James’s Account of S.H. Long’s expedition, 1819-1820
Volume 15. Part II of James’s Account of S.H. Long’s expedition, 1819-1820
Volume 16. Part III of James’s Account of S.H. Long’s expedition, 1819-1820
Volume 17. Part IV of James’s Account of S.H. Long’s expedition, 1819-1820
Volume 18. Pattie’s Personal narrative, 1824-1830; Willard’s Inland trade with New Mexico, 1825; and Downfall of the Fredonian republic; and Malte-Brun’s account of Mexico
Volume 19. Ogden’s Letters from the West, 1821-1823; Bullock’s Journey from New Orleans to New York, 1827; and Part I of Gregg’s Commerce of the prairies, 1831-1839
Volume 20. Part II of Gregg’s Commerce of the prairies, 1831-1839
Volume 21. Wyeth’s Oregon, or a short history of a long journey, 1832; and Townsend’s Narrative of a journey across the Rocky Mountains, 1834
Volume 22. Part I of Maximilian, Prince of Wied’s travels in the interior of North America, 1832-1834
Volume 23. Part II of Maximilian, Prince of Wied’s Travels in the interior of North America, 1832-1834
Volume 24. Part III of Maximilian, Prince of Wied’s, Travels in the interior of North America, 1832-1834
Volume 25. Comprising the series of original paintings by Charles Bodmer, to illustrate Maximilian, Prince of Wied’s Travels in the interior of North America, 1832-34
Volume 26. Part I of Flagg’s The far West, 1836-1837
Volume 27. Part II of Flagg’s The far West, 1836-1837; and De Smet’s Letters and sketches, 1841-1842
Volume 28. Part I of Farnham’s Travels in the great western prairies, etc., May 21-October 16,1839
Volume 29. Part II of Farnham’s Travels in the great western prairies, etc., October 21-December 4, 1839; and De Smet’s Oregon missions and travels over the Rocky Mountains, 1845-1846
Volume 30. Palmer’s Journal of travels over the Rocky Mountains, 1845-1846
Volume 31. Analytical index to the series, part 1.
Volume 32. Analytical index to the series, part 2.
[box type=”info”] Source: Early Western Travels, 1748-1846: a series of annotated reprints of some of the best and rarest contemporary volumes of travel: descriptive of the aborigines and social and economic conditions in the middle and far West, during the period of early American settlement. Edited with notes, introduction, index, etc., by Reuben Gold Thwaites.[/box]