The Lost Trappers; A Collection Of Interesting Scenes And Events In The Rocky Mountains; Together With A Short Description Of California: Also, Some Account Of The Fur Trade, Especially As Carried On About The Sources Of Missouri, Yellowstone, And On The Waters Of The Columbia, In The Rocky Mountains.

DAVID H. COYNER

Publication: J A & U P James, 1847, Cincinnati

First edition. 12mo. Recased with original spine and blind-tooled covers relaid, original spine title in gilt, xv, 16 - 255 pp., [blank], plus 7 pp. of advertisements, introduction, appendix. Graff 897 says, "Howes and Wagner-Camp suggest doubt about the veracity of the author (the "lost trappers" were from the Lewis and Clark Expedition). Some statements in the work are demonstrably untrue, but there are sections which may be proven authentic." Coyner, a Presbyterian preacher sojourning in Missouri, claims to have compiled this narrative on behalf of a Virginia newspaper seeking frontier material, basing it on an old, musty, mutilated journal kept by Ezekial Williams, a Kentucky-born trapper. The main incidents concern the wanderings and adventures and his colleagues in the Rocky Mountains from 1809 to 1813, and the overland journey of two of them - the "Lost Trappers" - to California in 1809-1810. One of the early pictures of California. Professionally rebacked spine, with original cloth laid-down, and repair to corners. New endpapers. Foxed throughout, else a very good copy of the scarce first edition. HOWES C836. GRAFF 897. DOBIE p. 72. RADER 948. WAGNER/CAMP 130. SABIN 17319. COWAN p. 149. JONES 1144. FIELD 380.

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