WISLIZENUS, Frederick Adolph. Memoir of a Tour to Northern Mexico, Connected with Col. Doniphan’s Expedition, in 1846 And 1847... January 13, 1848. Washington: Tippin & Streeper, 1848. [1] 2-141, [2 blank] pp., 2 lithograph folding maps and 1 folding lithograph chart. 8vo (22.5 x 14.5 cm), later protective wrappers. Wrappers browned and chipped. Title page slightly browned, scattered light foxing and browning. Large map has 3-inch tear at text block, otherwise fine.

Maps and chart:

[1] Profile Of Elevations Above The Level Of The Sea. 38 x 56 cm.

[2] Geological Sketch [of Texas from the Gulf of Mexico in the southeast to Paso del Norte in the West up to Arkansas River in the north]. 31 x 27.5 cm.

[3] Map of a Tour from Independence to Santa Fé, Chihuahua, Monterey and Matamoros by A. Wislizenus, in 1846 and 1847. Baltimore: E. Weber, n.d. 50 x 40.3 cm.

First edition (30th Congress, 1st Session. Senate Miscellaneous Document 26). Braislin Sale 1919. Connor & Faulk 444. Garrett & Goodwin, p. 160. Graff 4723. Haferkorn, p. 37. Holliday Sale 1208. Howell 50:207. Howes W597. Littell Sale 1120. McKelvey, Botanical Explorations of the Trans-Mississippi West, pp. 941-55. Plains & Rockies IV:159:1. Rader 3715. Raines, p. 222. Rittenhouse 656. Tutorow 1761. Wheat, Mapping the Transmississippi West 572 & 573, III, pp. 53-54.

Printed in an edition of 5,000 copies, with an additional 200 copies for the author. The second edition of Plains & Rockies notes that the Huntington copy has a “special title”; the third edition states that the Huntington and Streeter copies have a “special title page.” That title page, however, is a modern addition not issued with the book.

Born in Germany, Wislizenus (1810-1889) came to the United States in 1835 and practiced medicine in Illinois. He made his first journey to the West in 1839, the experiences of which are recounted in another of his books. In 1846 he again set out on another westward journey with Albert Speyer. Unaware that the Mexican-American War had broken out, he was captured in Chihuahua state and held by the Mexican government until he was rescued by Doniphan’s regiment in 1847. After making his way back to the United States while serving as surgeon in the regiment, he eventually resumed his medical practice.

This Memoir, in which Wislizenus was assisted by several people, was published through the influence of Senator Thomas Hart Benton. The work is important for its descriptions of botanical specimens the author collected during his travels and for its descriptions of Mexico during the Mexican-American War. Two of the maps, which were executed by W. Palm, are quite valuable for the Texas geological features they show and their depiction of routes across Texas towards New Mexico.