1829 Early Account of Mexico and Texas + maps

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AUTHOR: Henry George Ward (1797-1860)

TITLE: Mexico 

PUBLICATION DATA: 1829. Colburn; London. Second Edition, enlarged.

Henry George Ward, the first British charge d'affaires to Mexico from 1825-1827, gave us a precious gift when he published his experiences there. He looked at Texas, then being settled up by Anglo-Americans, with a suspicious eye. Because the United States had only (relatively) recently separated from England, Ward was very interested in how Americans were behaving in Mexico...in particular in the mining industry and in Texas. He included much mining data in this edition in hopes of enticing his distant countrymen to populate an industry that Americans were fast encroaching on. He also worried about Manifest Destiny, westward expansion and the prospect of the United States interfering with the ports of Mexico and, perhaps, invading. And, of course, he predicted that the "ultimate incorporation of Texas with the Anglo-American States may...be regarded as by no means an improbable event." There is also much commentary on the internal strife within the newly formed Mexican government and Gen. Wavel's report on the province of Texas is also included in the text.

The work features several fold-out aquatint illustrations, one of which is hand-colored, as well as woodcuts and one lithographic plate. One large copperplate engraved fold-out map (54.5 x 67 cm) features a very young Texas. The other large copperplate map (40 x 55.5 cm) focuses on the mining districts of Mexico. Both maps were printed on heavyweight laid paper.

Condition report:

This is a spectacularly bound set of books! Bound in Schloss green leather with gilt tooling and French morocco spine labels, with bound-in ribbon place markers, French marbled endsheets and marbled page edges. The spines have developed a nice verdigris that spills over to the boards a bit. A bit of scuffing is visible to corners and board edges. Previous owner's stamp and name to each title page and a 19th century previous owner inscription to one front endpaper. Bindings are sound. 524pp/642pp.

Contents are clean and bright. Maps are in beautiful condition with no edge tears or paper loss. 

Why It Matters:

This set, aside from being a breathtaking bit of bookbinding, is what Thomas Streeter called "a classic book on Mexico...the rarity of accounts of Texas in the 1820s makes its inclusion [in his bibliography] worthwhile." It also includes an early cartographic view of Texas. The title is quite scarce, with only one on the market presently and very few on the auction block in the last decade. It's rare and it's beautiful.