Wallamet or Willamette: The Name and Not the Thing [Caption Title]

Publication: Portland, OR: Geo. H. Himes, 1875. First Edition.

Notes: A scarce and interesting pamphlet offering various views on the proper spelling of the name of Oregon's principal river. This compilation brings together various letters and newspaper editorials from prominent regional figures concerning the Wallamet-Willamette controversy, primarily reprinted from the Daily Oregonian and other local newspapers.

Contributors to the debate include early Oregon figures such as Judges Matthew P. Deady, William Strong, and J. Quinn Thornton, and Archbishop F. N. Blanchet. One of the main disputes is whether the name was of French origin—an odd combination of the English name William and the French diminutive suffix, "ette", or if it was of Native American origin, with a broad initial vowel like "wall." The arguments are quite detailed and cite many early uses of the word. In the end, Willamette won out.

A late addition to the book was the inserted leaf containing pages 51A and 51B which reprints a letter from Blanchet, arguing in favor of "Wallamette," which combines the two approaches and, he wrote, is supported by invoices from the Hudson Bay Company from the 1840s that use that spelling.

Printed green wrappers. [1]–51, [52: blank], 51A–51B [inserted]; [53]–66 pages; with a laid-in letterpress sheet printed on both sides, addressed to the "editors of the newspapers of Oregon," and entitled, Pioneer Names: Their Proper Spelling, Meaning and Use.

Rather scarce. The most recent listings in Rare Book Hub are for the Streeter copy, in gray wrappers, sold at his sale in 1969 and offered again by John Howell - Books in 1980. I acquired this in the final minutes of a virtual book fair. During the show, Portland-area dealers exchanged messages about this book, which is rare and interesting, but the general consensus is that there are no Oregon collectors. My office sits in a bend of the Willamette river; it is directly ahead of me and to my left as I write this, and so I decided to bring the pamphlet home. If it's true that no one will buy this, at least it's close to its subject. For reference, Rare Book Hub estimates that Howell's 1980 price would be $1500 today.

Edition + Condition: First edition (first printing). A very good copy, with light wear at the spine ends and a light two-inch semi-circular stain along the bottom edge of the front cover.

Item No: #365198

Price: $1,000