OP: Dried Fruits
The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Co., 1939. Hardcover. Very Good Minus.
Produced as a co-branded advertisement for both the Santa Fe System Lines railway and California tourism, Dried Fruits (1939) was one of a series of small (5” x 7.5”, 33 pages) hardbound books published by the railway, describing the bounty of California produce and its preservation.
The Santa Fe System Lines railways was once the largest system in the US. With allied bus and ferry lines it covered a vast swath of California. Offering both freight and passenger service, the company had a vested interest in turning the rest of the country on to California’s farming and ranching industry, as well as in encouraging tourism there.
Covering raisins, prunes, apricots, peaches, figs, apples, pears, and their uses, as well as a brief history of dried fruit production, this is a sweet little souvenir from a period when California felt a little more far-flung.
Ours is a Very Good Minus example of the uncommonly seen book, showing wear about the corners and edges. The interior, printed on sturdy stock, is clean and bright. Sepia-toned photography throughout.
