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A Magnificent Pre–Civil War Portrait of America
Offered here is an authentic 1855 Robert Sears pictorial history and geographical description of the United States, preserved in its spectacular original Victorian publisher’s binding.
This is not a modern reproduction. It was printed while Franklin Pierce occupied the White House, six years before the opening shots of the Civil War and at a moment when the nation was expanding rapidly westward.
The book presents America as readers of the 1850s understood it: a young, ambitious republic of booming cities, untapped mineral wealth, new territories, steamboats, canals, factories, farms, wilderness, and Revolutionary memory.
Extraordinary Original Gilt Binding
The dark brown embossed cloth is lavishly decorated in gold:
- A soaring American eagle
- Draped flags and a patriotic shield
- The motto “Peace and Union”
- Sailing vessels, waterfalls, cities, monuments, livestock, fruit, and agricultural imagery
- Elaborate floral scrollwork surrounding the cover
- A fully decorated gilt spine with globe, landscape, and publisher’s imprint
- A second large “Peace and Union” eagle stamped on the rear board
It is an exceptionally decorative example of mid-19th-century American bookbinding—bold, unmistakably patriotic, and built to command attention in a library or Americana display.
A Nation Captured in Engravings
Inside are numerous finely detailed wood engravings portraying American cities, public buildings, landscapes, ships, historic events, Indigenous people, military scenes, and the physical character of the states and territories.
The remarkable engraved title page surrounds the title with scenes of:
- The signing of the Declaration of Independence
- Early coastal exploration
- Revolutionary-era assemblies
- Sailing ships and arriving crowds
- American landmarks and frontier imagery
The book’s opening declares:
“The history of America has not, like that of the Old World, the charm of classical or romantic associations; but in useful instruction and moral dignity, it has no equal.”
Few books so beautifully capture the energetic, proudly nationalistic way Americans viewed their country immediately before the Union was nearly torn apart.
Publication Details
- Title: A Pictorial Description of the United States
- Author/Compiler: Robert Sears
- Edition: New Edition, Revised and Enlarged
- Publisher: Robert Sears
- Location: 181 William Street, New York
- Date: 1855
- Copyright: 1854
- Format: Original embossed and gilt-decorated hardcover
- Length: Approximately 648 pages
- Illustrations: Numerous engraved views and historical scenes
Condition
Good, solid antique condition for a book now more than 170 years old.
The original binding remains attractive and highly displayable, with strong surviving gilt decoration. There is expected rubbing and edge wear, bumped corners, and visible fraying/loss at the upper spine end. The page edges are naturally toned. Interior pages show scattered age spotting and foxing, particularly around the engraved frontispiece and preliminary leaves. Some page edges show minor wear and small folds.
The text block appears remarkably substantial and well retained for such a large, heavily illustrated antebellum volume. Please examine all photographs closely; they form an important part of the condition description.
A genuine piece of pre–Civil War Americana combining American history, territorial expansion, geography, travel, decorative bookbinding, and hundreds of period illustrations in one impressive volume.
