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Book in the collection

The Boy Travellers in Mexico

by Thomas W. Knox

The Work

First published
1890
Original publisher
Harper & Brothers
Originally published in
New York

Drew's Copy

Edition
1890 Harper & Brothers edition
Publisher
Harper & Brothers
Published in
New York
Copy published
1890
Binding
Decorated rose-brown cloth hardcover with gilt, orange, and dark-blue stamping
Collection status
On the shelves
Reading status
Owned
Condition
Good; moderate edge and corner wear, fraying and loss at the spine ends, rubbing along the joints, light cover marks, and age-toned pages; the decorated binding, map, color plate, and text block remain intact
Travel LiteratureAdventure FictionMexicoCentral AmericaNicaragua CanalNineteenth Century

Acquisition & Provenance

Acquired
March 8, 2026
Acquisition type
Purchased
Source
eBay
Seller
hisglory
Item price
$22.98
Order total
$30.17
Delivered
March 14, 2026

How This Copy Came to the Library

Drew purchased this copy on eBay from hisglory on March 8, 2026. The book itself cost $22.98, and the order total was $30.17. It was delivered on March 14.

Why This Book Is in My Library

Drew wanted this volume for its journey through Mexico and Central America, as well as its period maps of the region’s railways and proposed Nicaragua Canal.

Place in My Physical Library

This volume stands with Drew’s growing shelf of Thomas W. Knox travel and adventure books, between The Boy Travellers on the Congo and The Boy Traveller in Great Britain and Ireland.

About This Copy

The title page identifies this as the 1890 Harper & Brothers edition of The Boy Travellers in Mexico: Adventures of Two Youths in a Journey to Northern and Central Mexico, Campeachey, and Yucatan, with a Description of the Republics of Central America and of the Nicaragua Canal. The copyright notice is dated 1889.

Its unusual rose-brown cloth binding remains striking. A broad gilt geometric border crowns the front board above a stamped Mesoamerican-inspired pendant, while the back board bears a dark-blue scorpion. Inside, the book retains a folding map showing the states, boundaries, and railways of Mexico, a color church scene, its tissue guard, and a contemporary publisher’s catalogue.

A penciled former-owner inscription records C. R. Lee of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, at 17 Union Street, preserving a fragment of the copy’s earlier life before it entered Drew’s library.

This 1890 volume retains its elaborate binding, folding railway map, color plate, and a former owner’s Wilkes-Barre inscription.

Part of a CollectionThe Boy Travellers

Nine Boy Travellers volumes by Thomas W. Knox, collected as artifacts of American travel writing, childhood reading, and the rapidly changing world of the 1880s and 1890s.

Explore the collection
Drew's Copy
Front cover of Drew's copy of The Boy Travellers in Mexico
The richly decorated rose-brown cloth front cover of Drew's 1890 copy.
Shelf and spine of Drew's copy of The Boy Travellers in Mexico
The Mexico volume on Drew's shelf of Thomas W. Knox books.
Back cover of Drew's copy of The Boy Travellers in Mexico
The back cover, stamped with a dark-blue scorpion.
Half-title of Drew's copy of The Boy Travellers in Mexico
The tissue guard over the title page, showing age-related discoloration.
Title page of Drew's copy of The Boy Travellers in Mexico
The title page records the 1890 Harper & Brothers publication.
Copyright page of Drew's copy of The Boy Travellers in Mexico
The 1889 copyright notice beneath a publisher's catalogue of Knox's illustrated travel books.
Illustration of Drew's copy of The Boy Travellers in Mexico
A surviving color plate depicting a church and village scene in Mexico.
Physical detail of Drew's copy of The Boy Travellers in Mexico
Physical detail
In the Same Series
Drew's copy of The Boy Travellers in the Levant The Levant Drew's 1895 copy Drew's copy of The Boy Travellers in Northern Europe Northern Europe Drew's 1892 copy Drew's copy of The Boy Travellers in Great Britain and Ireland Great Britain and Ireland Drew's 1891 copy Drew's copy of The Boy Travellers on the Congo The Congo Drew's 1888 copy Drew's copy of The Boy Travellers in the Russian Empire Russian Empire Drew's 1887 copy Drew's copy of The Boy Travellers in the Far East, Part First: Japan and China Japan and China Drew's Undated; in circulation by Christmas 1892 copy Drew's copy of The Boy Travellers in the Far East, Part Fourth: Egypt and the Holy Land Egypt and the Holy Land Drew's Undated copy Drew's copy of The Boy Travellers in South America South America Drew's 1886 copy
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