Rare Early Statistical Compendium of the United States
Oliver Optic's Copy
Separately issued work intended to accompany Henry S. Tanner's Universal Atlas. Includes United States census data for 1840: population by town, arranged alphabetically by town name. Also contains listings of government officers (e.g. in the State Department and Treasury), consuls and commercial agents of the United States in foreign countries, post office officials, and the like. Many of the entries include the salary of the respective office. The final section treats economic production, with listings of products (agricultural and manufactured), cotton, coal and flour trade statistics, etc.
The prefatory text reads:
The following accompaniment, comprising a great variety of useful statistical information, is respectfully submitted by the publishers of Tanner's Universal Atlas, under the belief that it will be found to be a most useful auxiliary to that valuable work... Also an aggregate of the numbers of the different classes of the inhabitants, and their pursuits, the value of the mining, agricultural, manufacturing and commercial interests of the Union, comparative views of the population at different periods, and a variety of items illustrating the resources of the country, its exports and imports, intercourse with foreign nations, departamental arrangements of the General Government, &c.
Rarity
This book is very rare in the market. Only a single entry in RBH from 1975. Overlooked by most of the standard Americana bibliographies (not in Sabin, Howes, American Imprints).
Provenance
Pencil ownership name on front free endpaper: William T. Adams (AKA Oliver Optic).
Widely known by his pen name Oliver Optic, Adams was a prolific 19th-century American author famed for his engaging boys' series stories, such as the "Boat Club" and "Army and Navy" series. Adams wrote well over 100 books in total, most of them for a boy audience. A schoolteacher and editor, Adams wrote with a moral and educational focus, blending adventure and character development to capture the imaginations of young readers. His works were instrumental in shaping juvenile fiction, appealing to a wide audience and leaving a lasting legacy in American children's literature.