Rare Book Monthly
Oregon Trail</i> Part II Finding Gems Along the Trail
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A check on Abebooks finds no copies available at the moment. Another candidate for the new “Wants List.” However, we do find several reasonably priced copies of a 1973 translation by the Oregon Book Society. For those more interested in learning about the history of the Trail than collecting original editions, and whose French is somewhat less than fluent, these copies make an interesting read.
There’s more to explore in the AED. If you prefer German to French, there’s 1859’s Ein Ritt nach Californien. This party traveled the old Mormon Trail on its way to California. Another very early work, 1845 to be exact, by Captain John Charles Fremont, describes his explorations from 1842-44. This title appears on both the Grolier American list and the Zamorano 80. While not excessively rare, you can still expect to spend several thousand dollars for a copy complete with its maps and plates. The maps include early depictions of the Oregon Trail. This title is considered a major work of western Americana.
There’s more fascinating material to be found in the AED, but I’ve traveled far enough down the trail for one day. For those of you wishing to join me in this exploration through the early west, I wish you “Happy Trails.”
