Description
First edition of The American Vine-Dresser’s Guide by John James Dufour, one of the first American works dedicated to viticulture.
Twelvemo, [6], 314pp, [3pp errata], [5]. Full calf binding, title in gilt on spine. Front and rear hinges starting, text block remains sound. Light wear to corners, with some cracks along spine. Remnants of previous ownership bookplate to front endpaper. Previous ownership inscription to front flyleaf, dated 1826. A few points of text are underlined in blue. Faint rippling to leaves, with some foxing along edges. A very good example. Complete with 8 woodcuts across five pages.
(Amerine 1218) (Crahan Sale 552) (Gabler 81-82)
John James Dufour, originally from Switzerland, sought to bring the grapevines of the “Old World” to America. Many of these grape varieties failed to grow, presumably due to the different soils and climates throughout the United States. Dufour toured nearly all existing American vineyards of the time and published his observations in this volume. It is recognized as “the most accurate account of grape growing in the United States at the beginning of the 19th century” (Gabler 82).
