THE LETTERS OF JOSE SEÑAN, O.F.M.: Mission San Buenaventura, 1796-1823: Translated by Paul D. Nathan and Edited by Lesley Byrd Simpson
San Francisco: John Howell - Books, 1962. First Edition. Hardcover. Limited to 1,000 copies printed by Lawton Kennedy. Born in Barcelona, Spain, Jose Francisco de Paula Señan (1760-1823) entered the Franciscan Order in 1774, and was sent to California where, following a period at the Mission San Carlos and a brief retirement, he was stationed at Mission Buenaventura. Señan was, in the words of Fermin Francisco de Lasuen, "a very good apostolic missionary", who also served as the presidente of the missions from 1812 to 1815 and from 1819 until his death. This excellent translation of his letters, edited and copiously annotated by Lesley Byrd Simpson, reveals the manifold and burdensome tasks performed by California's front-line missionaries. Tall octavo: [ii], vii, [1], 175, [3] pp. with a frontispiece photograph and a folding map. Original blue cloth binding, with gilt-stamped titles. A very good copy. Very good. Item #78936
Price: $30.00