bookfever.com

First printing. Includes a foreword by Robert Glass Cleland; editor's preface and notes. A selection of 25 of the most colorful and revealing letters, most written by Alpheus B. Thompson, a ship captain born in Maine, headquartered for a while in Oahu, married Francesca Carrillo, the daughter of a prominent Califonia family, and forever after he considered Santa Barbara his home. As the fur trade declined around 1820, due to the overtrapping of the otters for their pelts, the trade in hides and tallows from the rancheros of the Californios became a major part of the trade with China was an out growth of the fur trade in otter pelts which were plentiful in California and prized in the orient. These letters include much information on the local history and politics of the 1820s and 1830s, during the Gold Rush era, and up to the beginning of the Civil War. Illustrated with 2 black and white portraits; the title page has a red vignette of Thompson's brand. Bibliography and index of persons. 94 pp. Fine in very good dust jacket ( tape repairs at upper end of spine of dj, some rubbing to black background.) .

Book Listing #32108      25.00      BUY!      Shopping Cart

We have been selling books on the internet, by mail order and at book fairs, as well as in our open shop in Jackson, California, since 1992. We currently have over 50,000 books and magazines in stock - many more than are listed on our website, so please do not hesitate to contact us if you cannot find what you are looking for. We enjoy helping clients develop their collection - whether by author or by topic - or for research purposes, such as a doctoral dissertation - and we also enjoy making suggestions for an appropriate book as a gift.

The books available for sale range from rare to used books: antiquarian or second hand, collectible or reading copies, and out-of-print books, magazines and pulps. Our inventory contains fine first edition literature, advanced review copies (ARCs), proofs, limited editions. Books signed or inscribed by the author or illustrator is one of our specialities with over 3,000 in stock.

The topics in which we specialize include African American literature and history, Latin American literature, mostly in translation and works by Chicano or Hispanic authors, Hawaiian, Asian and Asian American and Native American fiction and nonfiction, women authors and women's studies, mystery and detective fiction, science fiction, fantasy and horror, children's books and vintage juvenile series, poetry, small press publications, focusing especially on the 60's counter culture and beat writers, and Western Americana and California history.