David Spilman Fine Books

John David Borthwick | Artist of the Gold Rush; [Publications of the American West, Volume 23]

Mather, R. E. and F. E. Boswell

Salt Lake City, UT: University of Utah Press, 1989. Near Fine in Very Good dust-jacket First Edition. [6.25x9.25”]; xiv, 216 pp., notes, bibliography, index; Tan cloth covers with gilt lettering on spine, all edges trimmed; Black dust jacket with gold lettering on front and spine, Borthwick’s illustration of miner’s camp in gold and black oval border, advertisements in gold and white lettering on back; Dust jacket has minor shelf wear and closed tears on top edge, creases and rubbing to edges. Item #13194

John David Borthwick (1824-1892) was a Scottish physician and journalist, with training as an artist. This book is a biography of his life and his adventures in the New World. After traveling to Canada, in 1850, he traveled to California by way of the Isthmus of Panama and arrived almost a year later in 1851. He spent the next three years traveling in the gold country observing and sketching. He returned to Scotland and in 1857, Three Years in California, was published. Borthwick illustrated his book with eight of his own lithographs, depicting card games, dances, mining operations, and Chinese emigrants. His attention to detail and his engaging portrayals are considered one of the most realistic representations of the time.

Price: $25.00