[Americana] Kneeland, Samuel, and John P. Soule. The Wonders of the Yosemite Valley, and of California

Boston: Alexander Moore, 1871. First edition. Tall 8vo. 71 pp., with half-title. Text within printed red border. Illustrated with a mounted albumen frontispiece and nine mounted albumen photographs, attributed to John P. Soule; each with tissue guard. Modern blue buckram with portions of publisher's gilt and black stamped cloth laid down on front and rear boards and on spine; all edges trimmed; foxing to text and albumen mounts; text leaves lightly toned. Cowan p. 333; Currey & Kruska 225; Farquhar 10a

First edition of this significant early guide to the Yosemite Valley, featuring fine albumen photographs of the region.

Samuel Kneeland was a professor of Zoology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, traveled across the continent on the newly opened transcontinental railroad, then returned east via Panama. "Kneeland took pains to get reliable information and present it with more than ordinary care. The photographic illustrations are excellent and include some unusual views" (Farquhar).

The source of the photographs in this work is the subject of some conjecture. Though John Soule is credited with the photographs on the title, he apparently never visited Yosemite. It is believed that he purchased negatives from Yosemite photographer Martin Mason Hazeltine, although some in the past have suggested Eadweard Muybridge as an alternative attribution.

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Raised in northern New Jersey, Darren moved to New York City in 1988 and began his career there as a bookseller in 1995. He spent the next 18 years selling to private clients and at East Coast book fairs. In 2003 he moved with his young family to Sharon, Connecticut where, in 2009, he opened his own bookshop. Darren Winston, Bookseller offered rare and vintage books, prints, fine art, and more, and hosted over 50 book signings and art shows. He was a trustee and, later, Board President, of the Sharon Historical Society, and for six years a trustee of Indian Mountain School in Lakeville, Connecticut.

Darren has hosted the radio program "Darren Winston's Book Report" for NPR-affiliate WHDD since 2009, appeared in the 2014 book-themed documentary The Paper Trail, and in 2024 he joined Antiques Roadshow as a books and manuscripts appraiser. From 1999 to 2005, Darren was the buyer and consultant to the Fine and Rare Books Department at Asprey, the British luxury goods company, at its New York headquarters. While there he spearheaded various in-store events including readings by Salman Rushdie and Dominick Dunne.

In 1993, Darren was hired as a Creative Consultant to Columbia Records, where he assisted in the repackaging of their 12-record Aerosmith back catalogue. He later sold his extensive collection of Aerosmith memorabilia, which he began amassing at the age of 14, directly to the band.

Darren now lives on the Main Line, outside Philadelphia, with his wife, two children, and dog. The family travels frequently to his wife's native England and Scotland. When not bookselling, he plays guitar in Pumped, an Aerosmith tribute band. Darren also appears on the top-rated PBS television program Antiques Roadshow.

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[Americana] Kneeland, Samuel, and John P. Soule. The Wonders of the Yosemite Valley, and of California

This lot is located in Philadelphia.

Books and Manuscripts

[Americana] Kneeland, Samuel, and John P. Soule. The Wonders of the Yosemite Valley, and of California

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