Appleton's Picturesque America Or, The Land We Live In. A Delineation By Pen And Pencil of the Mountains, Rivers, Lakes, Forests, Waterfalls, Shores, Cañons, Valleys, Cities, and Other Picturesque Features Of Our Country. With Illustrations on Steel and Wood by Eminent American Artists. Original text by Oliver B. Bunce and others, edited by William Cullen Bryant (New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1872-4); in Two Volumes. This ambitious work, edited by the talented poet, lawyer, and journalist William Cullen Bryant, was originally issued by subscription with semi-monthly parts being sent to paid subscribers for later binding into volumes. It is said that it cost Appleton the huge sum (for the day) of $250,000 to produce such a magnificent illustrated work. These stately volumes are divided into chapters with each describing both in word and image the beauty of a different area of our great country. Forty nine full page steel engravings are interspersed throughout the book with cities, towns, and natural wonders as subjects including Niagara Falls, Cleveland , the Smoky Mountains, Louisville, Detroit, Buffalo, St. Louis, Philadelphia, New Orleans, West Point, etc. The engravings from this book are often removed and sold separately so it's getting harder to find these books complete. The bindings show wear. There is scattered light and heavy foxing , heavy shelf wear to the spines and disconnected inner marbled paper board covers. Large and heavy set.