Robinson, Lilias Napier Rose.

Our Trip to the Yosemite Valley and the Sierra Nevada Range [and] A Short Account of Our Trip to the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

San Francisco: Book Club of California, 2025.

8vo, 108 pp. 13 full-page pen and ink illustrations by Colleen Dwire. Paper over boards binding with goatskin parchment edges, in a cloth slipcase with a paper enclosure for the maps and reproduced journals, bound at Book Island, Oakland, CA. As new.

§ One of the deluxe edition of 25 copies (sold out). Designed and printed letterpress by Dina Pollack, Richmond, CA.

"This publication reprints two accounts of a young Englishwoman’s travels and adventures in California... Born in Scotland and raised in London, Lilias Napier Rose Robinson married an Englishman and relocated with him to his farm in California’s Central Valley. In the early 1880s, Lilias and her husband traveled to Yosemite, explored the Sierra Nevada and the “Mineral King” region, and ascended Mount Whitney—extraordinary activities for a woman of her time and place.

Robinson’s texts are well-written, informative, engaging—describing in detail the exploits of her and her travelling companions in Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. Her tales of adventure and exploration on the rough and rocky terrain inform our appreciation of her achievements in pursuits that were usually the exclusive domain of men.

The original accounts were privately printed in very small numbers for distribution to family and friends in 1883 and 1884. As a result, both are very rare, appearing in the collections of only a handful of private collectors and institutions. This limited-edition, fine press publication will likely provide the only opportunity that Book Club members and other readers will have to access these texts in printed form.

Dennis Kruska, author of James Mason Hutchings of Yo Semite: A Biography and Bibliography, has written an introduction to the volume, and provides extensive notes to give further context on the author’s travels. Thirteen full-page pen and ink illustrations by Colleen Dwire bring to life the flora, fauna, and countryside that Robinson encountered, while two maps created by Ben Pease unfold to invite readers to follow her on her journey. Partial reproductions of Robinson’s original accounts are also included" (The Book Club of California). Item #126963

Price: $750.00