THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIAN
The Volumes
Set Number 146 An exceptional set of Volumes from The North American Indian. This is one of the few sets of volumes remaining that is in near pristine condition. Print quality is excellent. The photogravures are printed on the rare, premium India Proof Paper (“tissue�), tipped-in on Van Gelder etching stock. They are bound in blue leather over blue cloth. Each Volume is housed in a custom-made slipcase that echoes the look and feel of the original bindings.
The twenty Volumes comprise 1,511 original tissue prints and approximately 5,000 pages of text from Edward S. Curtis’ The North American Indian. Also included are all original handcolored photogravures, maps, and extensive transcriptions of language and music. First edition limited to 500 (i.e. 272) Sets, this is from Set number 146. The bindings are dark blue leather, with blue cloth-covered boards, with original top edge gilding. The over-all condition of the exterior and appearance is excellent. This Set may have been bound later (i.e. post-1930), however, the fact that it is a fairly early Set number makes this uncertain. This is a beautifully preserved Set of the Curtis Volumes and in the very highest tier in terms of the print quality and condition. Christopher Cardozo January 2018
Hand-tooled spines: Volumes l, lll, & Xll
“It’s such a big dream, I can’t see it all.” —Edward S. Curtis
Hand-colored photogravure, Volume lll
“The ordinary book of today will last but a few generations. This publication should last a thousand years..� William H. Holmes, Chief of the Bureau of American Ethnology, Smithsonian Institution
Volumes l, lll, & Xll
Upon seeing a Curtis photograph Scott Momaday commented:
“...I had not seen the photograph before. It struck me with such force that tears came to my eyes. I felt that I was looking into a memory in my blood...� N. Scott Momaday, Kiowa (Pulitzer prize winning Navtive American author.)
Sample illustrations of the Volumes
Detail of hand-tooled spines
For further information contact Christopher Cardozo: 612-377-3327 or christopher@cardozofineart.com