Books on American Canals
Arranged alphabetically by author.


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    Achenbach, Joel:  The Grand Idea George Washington's Potomac and the Race to the West.  New York: Simon & Schuster, (2004). First Edition, First printing. Fine in 1/4 black and tan paper covered boards with gilt text stamping on the spine. A small quarto measuring 9 1/4" by 6 1/2". In a fine, unclipped dust jacket. 367 pages including an index, chapter notes and text. Illustrated with maps and a section of black and white reproductions of contemporary works of art. Washington saw the Potomac as the answer to creating less expensive canal transportation to the Ohio River area and also as the means to assure that western states stayed allied with the Union.
    TB25674  $25.00



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    Bernstein, Peter L.:  Wedding of the Waters The Erie Canal and the Making of a Great Nation.  New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2005. First Edition, First printing. Fine in 1/2 blue and light tan paper covered boards with gilt text stamping on the spine. In a fine unclipped dust a jacket. 448 pages including an index, bibliography, chapter notes and text. Illustrated with a two page map frontispiece and a section of black and white photographs of contemporary works of art.
    TB22829  $20.00



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    Board of Canal Commissioners:  The Official Reports of the Canal Commissioners Of The State Of New York And The Acts Of The Legislature Respecting Navigable Communications Between The Great Western and Northern Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean.  Newburgh, NY: B. F. Lewis & Shelton & Kewnsett, 1817. First Edition. Good in 1/4 leather and printed paper covered boards with text on the front board and advertisements on the rear board. An octavo of 8 7/8 by 5 1/2 inches with much of the printed paper around the edges of the front board worn away and abrasions to what remains. The contents show dampness stains throughout and there is an early prior owner's name at the upper fore corner of the first page of text. 112 pages of text. The three folding maps are missing. (Sabin, 53564)
    TB31122  $300.00



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    Bourne, Russell:  Floating West The Erie and Other American Canals.  New York: W. W. Norton & Company, (1992). First Edition, First printing. Fine in 1/2 dark red cloth and bright red paper covered boards with bold gilt text stamping on the spine. A small quarto measuring 9" by 7 1/4". In a fine, unclipped dust jacket. 232 pages including an index, bibliography, acknowledgments and text. Illustrated with two sections of contemporary works of art, maps, black and white photographs, line drawings,
    TB26638  $25.00



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    Chalmers, Harvey, II:  The Birth Of The Erie Canal.  New York: Bookman Associates, 1960. First Edition, First printing. Very good+ in gold cloth covered boards with black text on the spine and front board with illustrated end sheets. An octavo of 8 1/2 by 5 1/2 inches with a gift inscription on the first free end page. Very good+, price clipped dust jacket with shallow 1/8 inch deep chips at the upper edge of the spine area, two closed tears at the base of the same and nicks to the fore corners of the panels over the tips of the boards. Signed on the title page by the author without an inscription or date. 195 pages of text and illustrated with one section of black and white reproductions of contemporary works of art and with map end sheets. Written in collaboration with John H. Flandreau.
    TB33259  $20.00



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    Chalmers, Harvey, II:  The Birth Of The Erie Canal.  New York: Bookman Associates, 1960. First Edition, First printing. Very good+ in gold cloth covered boards with black text on the spine and front board with illustrated end sheets. In a very good price clipped dust jacket with a 1" deep chip at the upper edge of the spine area which extends into the rear panel by 3/4". 195 pages of text and illustrated with one section of black and white reproductions of contemporary works of art. Written in collaboratio with John H. Flandreau.
    TB22228  $12.00



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    Coburn, Louise Helen:  Canal Projects for the Kennebec 1825 to 1832.  n.p. Possibly Skowhegan: Self published, n.d. circa 1927. First Edition. Near fine in heavy, tan, paper over a stapled binding with a printed paper label on the front cover. An octavo of 9 by 6 inches with the upper corners of the front cover and first page of text lightly creased. Without a dust jacket and probably as issued. 21 pages of text. (Armstrong, Maine A Bibliography of Its History, 237)
    TB30438  $70.00




  • Condon, George E.:  Stars In The Water The Story Of The Erie Canal.  Garden City: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1974. Reprint of 1974. Very good+ in 1/4 light brown and tan cloth covered boards with gilt text on the spine and map end sheets. A small quarto measuring 9" by 6" with fading to the cloth on the spine and a prior owner's address label on the front paste down and the name written out in ink on the first free end page. Without its issued dust jacket. Signed by the author on the fly title page. 338 pages including an index, bibliography and text. Illustrated with reproductions of contemporary works of art, photographs and maps. The author relates the history of the development and construction of the Erie Canal as well as recreates life on and around the canal.
    TB23581  $30.00



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    Hahn, Thomas F.:  Towpath Guide To The C & O Canal Georgetown (Tidelock) to Cumberland.  Sheperdstown, WV: American Canal and Transportation Center, 1988. Sixth Edition. Fine in heavy, printed, paper wraps over an adhesive binding. An octavo measuring 8 1/2 by 5 1/2 inches with black text on the spine and red and black text on the front panel. Without a dust jacket as issued. 226 pages of text illustrated with maps and black and white photographs.
    TB27334  $50.00



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    Rapp, Marvin A.:  Canal Water and Whiskey Tall Tales from the Erie Canal Country.  New York: Twayne Publishers, Inc., (1965). First Edition. Near fine in light green cloth covered boards with black text on the spine and front board. An octavo of 8 3/16 by 5 1/2 inches with a small stain at the bottom of the front board. In a very good, price clipped dust jacket. 189 pages including an index. Illustrated with drawings by Norman Truesdale.
    TB29620  $20.00



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    Shank, William H.:  The Canals of New York State.  York, Penn.: The American Canal and Transportation Center, 1995. Second Printing. Fine in illustrated heavy paper wraps with a double stapled binding. A small quarto measuring 11" by 8 1/2". Without a dust jacket as issued. 60 pages of text illustrated with maps and extensive black and white photographs.
    TB23062  $15.00



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    Swanson, Leslie C.:  Canals of Mid-America.  Moline, Ill.: Self-published, 1964. . Very good+ in heavy, red, printed paper wraps with a double stapled binding. An octavo measuring 8 1/2" by 5 1/4". Without a dust jacket as issued. 42 pages of text. Illustrated with maps and black and white photographs of the canals of Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois.
    TB23937  $15.00



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    [Vandewater, Robert J.]:  The Tourist, Or Pocket Manual For Travellers On The Hudson River, The Western Canal And Stage Road To Niagara Falls Down Lake Ontario And The St. Lawrence To Montreal And Quebec Comprising Also The Routes To Lebanon, Ballston, And Saratoga Springs..  New York: Harper Brothers, 1834. Third Edition, Enlarged and Improved. Very good- and rebacked retaining the original backstrip and the original end sheets in its original binding of light blue cloth covered boards. A 24mo measuring 6 by 3 3/4 inches with rubbing to all edges of the cloth around the boards and with minimal rubbing to the paper title block affixed to the front board. The fold-out map is present with multiple folds and only minor losses in the margins. The title page shows an early prior owner's name and date of July 3, 1834 in pencil and the blank second to last end page repeats that name and date in pencil. That same page has been torn such that a 4 by 4 inch portion of the page has been removed. 95 pages of text followed by a blank page and 12 pages of ads from the publisher. A tourist's guide starting in Philadelphia to New York City then up the Hudson River to Albany and west on the Erie Canal. Containing interesting facts and features as they then existed along the routes taken. (Howes, V-28; Sabin, 98486
    TB32415  $200.00



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    Veit, Richard F.:  The Old Canals of New Jersey A Historical Geography.  Little Falls, NJ: New Jersey Geographical Press, (1963). First Edition. Good in light blue cloth covered boards with black text on the spine and on the front board. An octavo of 8 1/2 by 5 3/8 inches with rubbing and wear to the cloth at the head and heel of the spine and rubbing to the cloth around all edges of the covers. Without its dust jacket. 106 pages including an index, bibliography and text. Illustrated with maps, line drawings and images from black and white photographs.
    TB31256  $20.00



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    Wolfe, George "Hooper":  I Drove Mules On The C and O Canal.  Dover, Del.: Dover Graphic Associates and Woodwend Studio, (1969). First Edition. Near fine in light brown cloth covered boards with a printed paper label on the front board. A small quarto of 10 by 8 inches. In a very good+, unclipped (no price) dust jacket with a long closed tear at the fold between the front panel and the spine area. Signed in flow pen on the title page by the author. 171 pages of text. Illustrated throughout from black and white photographs. Laid-in at the rear of this copy is a 16 page "Supplement To The First Edition" which provides a synopsis of the book, the C&O Canal Song and additional photographs. As of this writing there are no other copies of this title for sale on the Internet.
    TB30057  $125.00






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