Hargrave, James.
Toronto: Champlain Society [Publ. No. XXIV], 1938., 8vo. pp. xxvi, 472, xi, [1]. 3 plates. folding map in rear pocket. Gilt-crested cloth. Limited to 550 copies. Fine. The correspondence dates from the first twenty-two years of Hargrave's service with the Hudson's Bay Company when he was stationed mostly at York Factory. Hargrave was promoted to the rank of chief trader in 1833, and to that of chief factor in 1844. With a few exceptions the letters are addressed to Hargrave from Hudson's Bay Company servants at posts in all parts of the Hudson's Bay Company territory, including prominent HBC men as John Stuart, Donald MacKenzie, John Rowand, Thomas Simpson, Archbald Macdonald, James Douglas, and many more. The letters for a unique record of the conditions of the country, the conduct of the fur trade and the life of the traders. The Champlain Society also published the letters of his wife, Letitia MacTavish Hargrave.
Macfie, Matthew.
London: Longman and others, 1865. xxi + 1pp (list of illustrations) + 574pp. Frontispiece, 2 folding maps (partly hand-coloured), one of which shows the proposed intercontinental railway ending at Nentinck Arm, now known as Bella Coola, 7 wood engraved text illustrations. Original coffee brown cloth, gilt titled. Brown endpapers. With Signed presentation inscription dated 1865 "with the author's kindest regards". Very good. A well-written overview, with lively discussions on history, physical geography, gold and other mining activity, and natural resources of British Columbia. While most of the book is about British Columbia and its many attractions for immigrants and settlers, Victoria for its agriculture, society, local Indigenous population, and more. [Lowther 255]
MacDonnell, Alexander [Greenfield].
London: B. M'Millan, Bow Street, Covent-Garden, 1819. 8vo. xix + 85pp. Large folding hand-coloured map. Fine, crisp, untrimmed copy in original printed grey wrappers. Preserved in quarter scarlet morocco clamshell box. An important and rare work. Inscribed on the front wrapper: "Right Honble Earl of Rocksavage & & & Piccadilly, with Mr. Simon McGillivray Compliments" An unusual presentation inscription with McGillivray's full name when, for this historical period, it was more often customary to inscribe, "With the author's compliments" suggesting thereby the possibility of a special relationship or friendship. Macdonell, a partner in the NW Company, was in charge of the Red River Department and stationed at Pembina during the conflict with Selkirk and the HBC. M'Donell here outlines the establishment and growth of the Selkirk colony from 1812, and attempts to justify his and his company's actions as a legitimate response to the provocations by Selkirk's colonists,From Wikipedia: George Horatio Cholmondeley, 2nd Marquess of Cholmondeley (16 January 1792 - 8 May 1870), styled Viscount Malpas from 1792 to 1815 and subsequently Earl of Rocksavage until 1827, was a British peer and Lord Great Chamberlain of England between 1830 and 1838. In the United Kingdom, the Lord Great Chamberlain is the sixth of the Great Officers of State (not to be confused with the Great Offices of State), ranking beneath the Lord Privy Seal and above the Lord High Constable. The Lord Great Chamberlain has charge over the Palace of Westminster. We cannot trace any relationship between the Earl of Rocksavage and Simon McGillvray, except to say that they were contemporaries, possibly linked through the War of 1812, or through the Canada Club at London. [TPL 1100].
Elsted, Apollonia, Crispin Elsted, and Jan Elsted.
Mission, British Columbia: Barbarian Press, 2023. 4pp + [8]. 8vo. Textured berry-toned paper wrapper, red lettering on front cover. Printing limited to 150 copies, 9 available. Fine. Hand-set in Joanna, printed in black and berry red on Mohawk Superfine paper by Apollonia Elsted and Kristen Way. Book design by Crispin Elsted. Wrapper is St-Armand Canal Sisal Currant. As the title states, this is the second installment in Barbarian's Wayzgoose series, which examines particularities of the printing craft. It is a celebration of the dingbat - the decorative matrices used by printers to adorn and punctuate bodies of text. The pamphlet is richly illustrated with various dingbats acquired by Barbarian Press over the past 45 years.
