History of the American Steam Fire-Engine. By William T. King. Illustrated. The Pinkham Press, 1896. First edition.

An attractive and increasingly uncommon late nineteenth-century history of America’s pioneering steam-powered fire apparatus, written by firefighter and historian William T. King. Published in 1896, this profusely illustrated work chronicles the development of the American steam fire engine from its earliest experimental forms through the great manufacturers of the nineteenth century, including Amoskeag, Clapp & Jones, Hunneman, Silsby, and other notable builders. Illustrated throughout with numerous photographic plates, technical diagrams, and engravings depicting engines, machinery, and historic firefighting equipment, making it an indispensable reference for collectors of firefighting memorabilia, industrial history, engineering, and Americana.

Quarto. Original publisher’s red cloth pictorially stamped laid over modern red cloth rebinding. Silver gilt on the front cover and spine. Portrait frontispiece of the author. Copyright page dated 1896. A solid, attractive copy with bright binding, square hinges, and clean text throughout. Minor rubbing and a few light marks to the cloth, slight bumping at the extremities, and a small closed tear to the lower margin of the title page not affecting text. A blind library ownership stamp appears on the title page, with an old penciled classification number on the copyright page but otherwise no significant library markings. Pages remain generally clean with only light, scattered age toning, minor marginal wear and an old library tape repair on the margin of page 147.

A desirable first edition of an important and well-illustrated history documenting the evolution of nineteenth-century American firefighting technology. Scarce in such well-preserved condition, sought after by collectors of fire service history, transportation, engineering, and industrial Americana.