Instructions to the Surveyors General of Public Lands of the United States Prescribed According to Law by the Principal Clerk of Surveys, Pursuant to Order of the Commissioner of the General Land Office M. Moore, Washington, 1855

This is an original copy of the first set of general surveying instructions for the government public lands. Prior to this issue the public lands were surveyed according to individual directions prepared by the various Surveyors General in the separate surveying districts. This treatise provides direction to all surveyors regarding the instruments, tools, and methods of survey for government work. It is one of the most important resource tools for present-day surveyors working in public land states.

The book is complete as to text and all plates. The binding is original and tight with some minor blemishes to the leather surface. This is one of the better remaining copies of this rarely encountered treatise. The folded plates have good edges with none of the customary raggedness. Size is 5.7" x 8.9" with about 91 pages and 3 folding plates.

This book was owned by important Los Angeles Surveyor, Henry Hancock, and bears the seal (featuring a Solar Compass) of the Surveyor Generals Office, California. Henry Hancock surveyed very significant parts of Los Angeles, and owned a large former rancho in LA that now includes the La Brea Tar Pits, Hollywood, and Wilshire's Miracle Mile.

A very significant book owned by a very significant Los Angeles surveyor.

Price: SOLD

SAMUEL MOORE, An Accurate System of Surveying, (Litchfield [CT], 1796), 131 pages of text including 8 pages of tables.

An important and highly collectible book because it is generally regarded as the first meaningful textbook on surveying authored by an American.

Samuel Moore was born in Connecticut and practiced surveying for over 30 years before writing this book. He wanted to share his knowledge with others in order to upgrade the level of surveying practice. Most of the problems he addresses involve mathematics rather than field measurement. He was dissatisfied with the common practice of determining area by plotting a survey on paper, dividing the parcel into triangles by connecting various exterior points, and then determining the areas of the triangles by using scaled dimensions. He suggested, for example, that practitioners calculate the area by using a variation of the technique of double meridian distance. Other highlights involve the mathematics of dividing land and surveying parcels of a set area.

I have seen this book priced and sell in a range between $250 to $1000. This is a nice copy: tight binding (which is rare with a bit of separation as shown in one of the pics below), with pencil doodling on endpapers and free pages on the inside.

Here is Bud's review of Moore's 1796 Surveying textbook.

Price: SOLD

WYLD, Samuel, The Practical Surveyor, or the Art of Land-Measuring Made Easy. Shewing by plain and familiar Rules, how to Survey any Piece of Land Whatsoever, by the Plain-Table, Theodolite, or Circumferentor: or, by the Chain only. 4th ed., (London, 1760), 7 folding copper plates including a particularly nice frontispiece that shows views of an early Sisson theodolite and a Sisson spirit level; the binding has been neatly repacked.

In describing use of the theodolite, Wyld states the instrument ought to be pretty nearly horizontal otherwise the angles will not be true.  He suggests some sort of level or plumb bob be used to achieve this, although no great exactness is required.  The author states that if the young Artist will take as much pains in reading as were taken in writing this Treatise, he will become a complete Master of the Art of Surveying.

This is an easy to comprehend text that covers the important elements of land surveying, and contains both technical guidelines and practical suggestions.  It was first  published in 1725, and was very advanced for its day.  Note in comparison that Love's Geodaesia published from 1688 to 1796 contains no information on the theodolite.  With its instrument frontispiece and progressive, clear text, Wyld is a favorite.   

Price: SOLD

Hammond, John, The Practical Surveyor: Containing The Most Approved Methods For Surveying of Lands and Waters, by the Several Instruments Now in Use: Particularly Exemplified with The Common and New Theodolites, 4th ed., revised, corrected and augmented by Samuel Warner (London, 1765), 189 pages, with 7 folding plates, a frontispiece illustrating instruments made by Thomas Heath including the new improved theodolite, double level and universal dial, and a 16 page catalogue of mathematical, philosophical and optical instruments made and sold by Thomas Heath and Tycho Wing (text only).

This 4th edition was published in 1765 by someone with the initials J.R., who identifies in the preface that the true author of the 1st edition (1725) was the famous Samuel Cunn. Cunn is previously known to have revised and added an appendix to the 5th edition of William Leybourn's The Compleat Surveyor (1722). J.R. states that for some reason Cunn let the present work appear under the name John Hammond who was a clerk to his friend, Charles Brent.

This book is very collectible because of the Frontispiece. I sold a 1731 second edition (the first edition having the frontispiece) for $1200.

The book offered here has the original calf cover, with joints tender but holding. The folding plates are in very nice condition. A very nice and desirable book.

Price: SOLD

CHARLES DAVIES, Elements of Surveying, (New York, 1830), Printed and Published by J. & J. Harper. FIRST EDITION.

Davies' Surveying was first published in 1830.  This is a very nice copy of that rarely seen original edition.   The text was first written as a series of lecture notes for use by the Cadets at West Point. The Military Academy was one of the foremost schools for mathematics in the country, and the book was directed towards more highly educated readers than were other works of the period.

The book's two introductory chapters on mathematics offer instruction in logarithms and plane trigonometry, but not geometry. The continuing chapters provide details about the principal surveying instruments then in use. These were the telescopic theodolite, compass, level, plain table, cross, and a number of computing and drafting scales. Practical instruction is also given in determining area, general surveying, topography and harbor surveying. Numerous working examples are included, with corresponding illustrations appearing in the rear on nine folded plates. The plates also have detailed engravings of the various instruments.  

One of the examples in the 1830 text involves surveying a large tract of land using four different instruments. The theodolite is utilized for overall horizontal control, the compass and cross for fill-in work, and the plane table for adding topographic features. The book was so well received at the Academy that Davies rewrote the entire text to make it suitable for general distribution.

Davies Surveying soon became the most popular American surveying book of the mid-19th century. Over the years there were a total of six different versions of the book with varying titles.

The First Edition offered here is 5.5" x 8.7" with 147 pages of text plus 153 pages of mathematical tables. Inside the rear cover are located 9 folding plates

This is a VERY nice copy (noting the scuffing to the bottom of the front cover and imperfectly folded plates - see pics).  Expertly repaired and repacked binding, so the book is very tight.

I sold a few Davies First Editions back in the day for $150 to $165.  I think this is the nicest one I've had.

Price SOLD