This important BAE report was published in two volumes when John Wesley Powell was its director; this is Part 1. Following Powell's 92-page administrative report, the rest of the volume consists of James Mooney's "Myths of the Cherokee," which includes an in-depth historical sketch of the tribe; cosmogonic, quadruped, bird, snake, fish, insect, and miscellaneous myths; historical traditions; and more. The book includes 21 plates, some in color, including a frontispiece depicting a ritual in a kiva; maps showing the Cherokees and their neighbors and the old Cherokee country; the Cherokee alphabet; illustrated portraits of past Cherokee chiefs; and photographic portraits of contemporary Cherokees, including Chief Nimrod Jarrett Smith. Mooney stayed with Smith during his visit with the tribe. Smith was an anti-assimilationist who is credited with incorporating the Eastern Band of the Cherokees so that it was recognized as a legal entity by the North Carolina state legislature. 4to, 576 pp. plus administrative report. Hardbound in original green cloth with embossed gilt vignette of an Indian chief on front cover and gilt title on spine.

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Condition: B

Plates are in very good condition with some light toning and scattered foxing. Text is good with light toning and foxing as well, with page 283/4 torn in half and pages 423-26 are loose. Covers are stained with bumped corners. The front hinge is nearly separated.