Report on the United States and Mexican Boundary Survey.
By William H. Emory. Facsimile Reprint Edition, Austin: Texas State Historical Association, 1987. Three Volumes. Illustrations. Maps. $175.00 Boxed Limited Edition.
The Texas State Historical Association has just published a new boxed, limited facsimile edition of William H. Emory's Report on the United States and Mexican Boundary Survey, which was originally published in 1857-59. The report followed the official survey of the boundary between the United States and Mexico, and has been a basic source for Southwestern history ever since it appeared. In addition, the beautiful artwork and maps have also made it one of the aesthetic jewels of borderlands history. This new edition duplicates it all-the oversized volumes with the superb drawings (some handcolored) and the excellent maps (some large and fold out). The subject matter covers Emory's notes on the expedition and a description of the country crossed (including that in San Diego County), plus large sections devoted to geology and paleontology, botany, and zoology. In a brief introduction, William H. Goetzmann reviews the background and history of Emory, the Commission, the Report, and many of the people (artists, scientists, etc) involved with it. This is a beautiful reprint of a very basic source; obviously with a price of $175.00 per set, it is primarily for libraries.
