197. TAYLOR, Alex S. Discovery of California and Northwest America. The First Voyage to the Coasts of California; Made in the Years 1542 and 1543, by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo and His Pilot Bartolome Ferrelo. San Francisco: Le Count & Strong, 1853. 19 pp., printed in two columns. 8vo, original lilac printed wrappers, original stitching. Spine faded, scattered light foxing. Preserved in a blue slipcase with black leather gilt-lettered title label and chemise.
            First book edition of “the first true work of California history to be printed in California” (Greenwood 426); reprinted from the San Francisco Herald, in which it originally appeared in May 1853. AII, California 285. Barrett 2374. Braislin 1761: “Extremely rare, few copies being known, especially with wrappers intact.” Cowan I, p. 226. Cowan II, pp. 629-630. Graff 4072. Howes T44. Norris 3870: “Extremely rare.” Sabin 94437. Streeter Sale 2748. Working from Fernández de Navarrete’s narrative principally, Taylor tries to supply the actual places that Cabrillo visited. Taylor admits, “I make no pretenses to the character of a historian” (p. [5]), a conclusion with which Bancroft agrees in one of the more devastating pans he ever gave to an amateur historian (Pioneer Register, pp. 351-352). But Bancroft charitably concludes: “All honor, nevertheless, to such men as Hayes and Taylor and Lancey, who have toiled under more or less unfavorable auspices to save from destruction the data for our history” (p. 352).
($750-1,500)

198. TAYLOR, William. California Life Illustrated.... New York: Published for the Author, by Carlton & Porter, 1858. 348, 2 pp., woodcut frontispiece, 15 woodcut plates (counted as part of pagination; scenes, interiors). 8vo, original embossed diapered green cloth, gilt-pictorial spine with seal of California. Slight losses at spine extremities and foot of upper joint, gilt on spine dull, corners bumped and frayed, rear free endpaper separated, text block cracked at pp. 193 & 267. Printed book label of San Francisco bookseller P. J. Machen on rear free endpaper.
            First edition. Braislin 1624. Cowan I, p. 227. Cowan II, p. 632. Fritz, California Coast Redwood 41: “Rev. Taylor arrived in San Francisco in 1849 and finding it very difficult to rent a house in which to live, went 15 miles across the bay to the redwoods near San Antonio, where he cut the timber to build a house for his family.” Howell 50, California 866. Kurutz, The California Gold Rush 621: “Graphic depictions of everyday life in the tent cities, gambling halls, hotels.” Rocq 12246. Sabin 94547. Taylor (1821-1902) was a well-known preacher in San Francisco and was probably responsible for introducing eucalyptus into California, grown from seeds he sent from Australia in 1863. A vigorous writer, his calling, nevertheless, implies that he dwells somewhat more on the seamy side of California life. He was especially concerned about the fate of Native Americans. Some of the woodcuts are by San Francisco lithographer J. B. Howell and according to Cowan first appeared in the Annals of San Francisco. This is apparently the same Howell referred to by Peters (California on Stone, p. 129) whose work was so rare that Peters had seen only a single example.
($75-150)

199. THOMPSON, R[obert] A. Conquest of California, Capture of Sonoma by Bear Flag Men June 14, 1846, Raising the America Flag in Monterey by Commodore John D. Sloat, July 7, 1846....Historical Address Delivered in Sonoma, June 14, 1896.... Santa Rosa: Sonoma Democrat, 1896. [2] 33 pp., printed in two columns, 4 photographic plates (scenes and portrait of Mariano G. Vallejo). 8vo, original red wrappers, original stitching. Spine perished, upper wrapper and first few leaves detached, wrappers faded and damaged at top edges, lower edges of first few leaves chipped. Ink presentation from H. C. Peterson dated Sutter’s Fort, July 4, 1940, on front endpaper.
            First edition. Blumann & Thomas 4589. Cowan I, p. 229: “The author, a well-known journalist, resided for many years in Santa Rosa, and had personal acquaintance with a number of the survivors of the Bear Flag party. With apparent authority, he points out the unfairness of Hubert Howe Bancroft in his attitude toward these men of Sonoma.” Cowan II, p. 636. Garrett, Mexican-American War, p. 156. Graff 4135. Howell 50, California 877. Howes T199. Kurutz & Mathes, The Forgotten War, p. 174. Norris 3929. Rocq 14975. Streeter Sale 3023.
($75-150)