Cutter's Guide to the Hot Springs of Arkansas. Illustrated

St. Louis: Slawson & Co., Printers, 1882. 6 7/8” x 5”. Green cloth, embossed in blind, title gilt. Pp. 92, [12, advertisements] + two foldout maps, one 12½” x 10”, one 7½” x 4 5/8”. Very good minus: joints cracked; front board loose but held firmly by cords; penciled notes to both endpapers; light scattered spotting and foxing. Maps very good with a few small spots.

This is a fantastic, heavily illustrated guide to the “unique,” “incomparable, and almost indescribable” city of Hot Springs, Arkansas and its healing thermal waters. It features poetic exaltations of the city's offerings, thorough statistical data and two great foldout maps. (truncated)

The hot spring waters for which the town was named have been prized for their healing properties by Native Americans for centuries. Following federal protection in 1832, the city developed into a successful spa town, only to be destroyed in the American Civil War. Bath houses and hotels underwent extensive rebuilding in the years following, and Charles Cutter began issuing his illustrated guide to the region in 1874. His son John Milton Cutter took over, releasing the popular book until 1917.

Cutter dedicated “this little book” to “all invalids in search of health . . . hoping that it may guide them safely to these healing waters.” The preface noted his goal of providing “a perfect guide, with a clear and correct description of the Springs, Bathing, Bath Houses, Hotels, expenses here and all information needed . . .” The book includes an early history of the area, as well as tables and scientific analyses of water temperatures and “mineral constituents,” arguing that “at no place in the known world can so many diseases be effectually cured or greatly benefited.” It offered a thorough description of the bathing process as well as expenses one might incur at bathhouses and hotels. There were rates of fare from “most of the important railroad points” in the country, data on climate and rainfall, and a special section on the town's value “as a resort for ladies.” Twenty-six fantastic illustrations reveal bird's eye views of the waters, street scenes and depictions of the various establishments.

The book boasts two foldout maps, the larger of which shows the “South-Western Railway System,” including lines of the Missouri Pacific and the Texas and Pacific Railways, stretching from Omaha and Des Moines in the north to Houston and New Orleans in the south; Denver, Santa Fe and El Paso to the west (heading into Mexico in the southwest corner), and a bit of Illinois and Mississippi on the east. A smaller map of Hot Springs, most of which is colored in green, shows the snaking springs and surrounding mountains, hotels and bathhouses, and is detailed down to street level in the south. There are also several pages of advertisements for local businesses, many of which were illustrated.

An uncommon early edition of a long-lasting travel guide. OCLC shows 14 holdings over two entries. (Inventory #: 6072)