Haynes Guide Yellowstone (National) Park, Illustrated (1898 ed.)

MOUNTAIN WEST. 
Historical National Park Tourguide. 

The Haynes Guide is a legendary western park guidebook. It was first published in 1890 when the natural wonders out west were still far off magical places for most Americans. Tourism as we know it today was still largely impractical, a thing reserved for the hearty explorer on horseback and, or the wealthy via long extended train excursions. But this did not in the least bit dim the interest in America’s first national park: Yellowstone. And there to document it in detail, was Frank Haynes, official photographer for the park. With exacting feature and tour descriptions written by Albert Guptill, the first decade of these guides were well over 100 pgs in length, bound in a hard but flexible linen-board cover designed to go into the field, “profusely illustrated” with pro black & white photography provided by Haynes, and each included a detailed fold-out map of the entire park fixed to the guide’s back cover. It was certainly the most robust guide of its kind at the time. The Haynes Guide would continue to be revised and republished by Frank, and then his son Jay, well into the 1960s. But its reputation was established with these early guides: “A Practical Hand Book containing accurate and concise descriptions of the entire park region, maps, distances, altitudes, geyser time tables, and all necessary information.” This was one of our best estate sale finds for the entire year when we came across it, not just that it seemed a treasure hiding in plain sight, but given its fantastic condition. It is amazing to consider the work that went into it, how the entire park was traced by foot and on horseback, documented with pencil, paper, and camera; and this in the era when the camera was a behemoth box on tall wooden legs that had to be laboriously hauled from point to point. The bulk of the guide is an exhaustive run of Yellowstone’s incredible set of features broken out over 20+ individual tours: from the hot springs to the geyser basins, the falls, and the lake, it is all here; with Haynes’ photography bringing all the descriptions to life. In addition, the back pages of the guide are filled with general, if exacting info: the park in winter, a history of early exploration, flora and fauna, a fishing guide, an elevations guide, and a list of camping grounds. This is an absolute treasure for anyone interested in the history of our western parks. [Condition: Used Very Good. Aside from fraying and tearing along the edge of the guide’s linen-cover spine, there is only minor shelf wear to report. The interior is in near perfect condition, the stitch-binding still tight, the thick glossy stock (possibly an attempt at early waterproofing) unmarked and near pristine. There is some slight discoloration on the end papers. But even the fold-out map looks not a fraction of its century-plus age, no rips, in perfect condition. There is even an ink-stamped owner name in the front giving it that much more personality.] 

Condition: Used Very Good. 
Travel / Touring. 
A. B. Guptill, F. Jay Haynes (Photographer). 
F. Jay Haynes / H. L. Collins Co. (St. Paul), 1898. 
Softcover (Cardboard Linen), 140 pgs, 4.75 x 6.5" / 8 oz