WESTWARD TO PROMONTORY

R350.00

BUILDING THE UNION PACIFIC ACROSS THE PLAINS AND MOUNTAINS

A Pictorial Documentary. From the century old 10×13 inch, wet plate collodion negatives of A.J. Russell, chronicler of the building of the Union Pacific Railroad, one of the greatest engineering feats of the day.

The Great Work of the Age! it was hailed by the politicians journalists, promoters, and philosophers of America and Europe. This was the Union Pacific, the continent shrinking  streak of gleaming iron, speculative dollars, and human sweat and ingenuity that bound together the nation that was to lead the world into the twentieth century. The men who built the U.P. knew they were making history, and they had the foresight and insight to document their work in the imperishable images of an outstanding practitioner of the nascent art of photography, A.J. Russell, who stood next to the great Matthew Brady as a keen interpreter of great events. Now, for the first time, his marvellous original negatives are reproduced in expensive double plate printing on quality paper.

This great documentary of one of America’s epic adventures is interpreted and highlighted by the narrative of Barry B. Combs, who combines his intimate knowledge of the history of the Union Pacific Railroad with a long and thorough study of the original photographs. His knowledgeable introduction and detailed perceptive captions provide a sparkling and informative narrative for one of the most beautiful photographic collections the ninteenth century West ever produced.

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Description

Authored by Barry B. Combs and published by Promontory Press of New York in 1969. Hard cover bound this First Edition copy is in Fine condition, covered in plastic, with a Fine dust jacket. The size of the book is 284x261x15mm, with 79 pages. Small closed Chips at head & tail. Book is slightly discolored at head & tail of spine. 79pp with b&w photo illustrations throughout. Hard Cover Bi-colour Boards. Slight damp damage.