Gold Hunting in Alaska; As told by Joseph Grinnell | Dedicated to Disappointed Gold-Hunters the world over
Chicago: David C. Cook Publishing Company, 1901. Very Good. First Edition, 1st Printing. [8.25x6.75in]; 96 pp., portrait of Grinnell on title page, 76 black and white images in text; Half bound in maroon cloth over marbled boards with gilt lettering on front and spine, Beige end papers, all edges trimmed; Some shelf wear to covers edges and corners with a little soiling and rubbing, spine slightly faded, two small white spots on rear joint, light age toning to pages. [Kurutz 221a, Tourville 1866, Smith 3904, Ricks p.113 Wickersham 31, Arctic Biblio 6243] CS. Item #14147
Joseph Grinnell (1877-1939) was an American field biologist and zoologist. As a young naturalist, in 1896 Grinnell went on his first trip to Alaska to study and collect bird specimens. His second trip in 1898 was on the schooner Penelope. He spent 18 months mining gold with the Long Beach and Alaska Mining and Trading Company in the Kotzebue Sound and processing in Nome. During his little spare time, he continued studying, making field notes, and collecting additional bird specimens. Grinnell had a long and successful career as a field biologist and wrote many articles and books about the birds of California.
This book is about his gold mining adventures as edited by his mother. From Kurutz, "... Grinnell wrote humorously and picturesquely of camp life [on the Kowak river], including descriptions of washing out a union suit,establishing a literary society, and hunting for eggs. [While in Nome] He happily reported that, to him, being able to collect so many birds was like striking gold." And, in the preface of the book, his mother wrote "The following story was originally written in pencil on any sort of paper at hand, and intended merely for 'the folks at home.' " A very honest story of adventures in Alaska.
This book was from the library of the late Dr. G. Warren Smith of Pennsylvania. He had a long career as university professor and administrator, and was a collector of over 6,000 books, maps, illustrations, and artifacts relating to the Arctic, Alaska and Pacific Northwest.
Price: $100.00