America

A three-volume study of North American life published in 1841 by one of nineteenth-century Britain's leading travel writers.

James Silk Buckingham (1786–1855), traveller and writer, left for North America in 1837 and spent nearly four years there. He visited every state except Florida and Arkansas, recounting his experiences in this three-volume work, published in 1841. Volume 1 focuses on his time in New York, Washington and Baltimore.James Silk Buckingham (1786–1855) was a writer who travelled extensively throughout the world and published accounts of his adventures in places such as India, Persia, Egypt, and Palestine. In addition, he was a supporter of political reform and served as the first MP for Sheffield, from 1832 to 1837. On retiring from Parliament, he left for North America, where he spent nearly four years, saying, 'I had a strong desire to add to the knowledge … acquired of the Old World, by examining for myself the most favoured portion of the New'. He recounts part of his time in America - during which he visited every state in the Union except Florida and Arkansas, as well as some of the provinces of Canada - in this three-volume work, published in 1841. Volume 1 focuses on his time in New York, Washington, DC, and Baltimore.