On Common Ground: Edwin James Book Project
Donation protected
On July 14, 1820, Edwin James performed the first documented ascent of a 14,000 foot mountain in North America. Though he was the first to climb Pikes Peak, the mountain ultimately did not bear his name. Noting that the bicentennial of Edwin's climb was approaching, I initiated the Edwin James Bicentennial Project to photograph the landscape as a timeless wilderness, likely the way Edwin and the Major Long Expedition encountered it. This project has involved three years of landscape photography and research into the life of Edwin James.
The Edwin James Bicentennial Project will culminate on the summit of Pikes Peak on July 14, 2020 with a gathering of family and friends to commemorate Edwin's achievement as the first documented ascent. Additionally, in conjunction with the gathering at the summit, there will be an exhibit of photographs at the Manitou Springs Heritage Center located at the base of Pikes Peak. The only thing missing is a quality, heritage level book, which is the purpose of this funding campaign. A book of this nature is very expensive to publish.
Book Description: - Title: On Common Ground
- Hardcover
- 9.5x9.5
- 152 pages
- 200, limited edition, signed copies
- Text by Mark James
- 25 black & white photographs by Mark James
- Botanical illustrations by Melissa Carmon
The funds raised in this campaign will offset the costs to produce and publish the book including associated expenses and potential cost overruns. The goal is to raise these funds very quickly if the book is to be ready by the July event. In other words, the funds need to be in hand no later than June 6, 2020 to make the deadline.
On a personal note, I think we all hope to be remembered and have our accomplishments carry forward to the next generation. Edwin's life and history is testament to that. After the event on the summit of Pikes Peak is done; after the exhibit comes down, and everyone goes home, this book will be a lasting record of both Edwin James and the landscape wilderness that he explored.
People like a good story, and the life of Edwin James is a good story. To the general public, Edwin is an obscure figure of early American Western history. To historians and scientists, he is actually fairly well known. As a botanist and physician, Edwin's contributions are significant. But his story doesn't end there. In the decades following the Long Expedition, Edwin would find himself embroiled in noble and ethical causes. He was an outspoken advocate on behalf of the environment, the Indian, temperance, and ultimately as an abolitionist with his homestead in Burlington, Iowa as a station along the Underground Railroad.
Biographical Information:
Mark James is a black & white landscape photographer with 45 years of experience and is an ancestor of Edwin James. Mark exhibits in museums and presently has a traveling exhibit curated by the Dubuque Museum of Art.
Melissa Carmon is an award winning artist who studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and Colorado State University and whose work is held in private and corporate collections worldwide. Melissa lives in Colorado and is a member of the Colorado Native Plants Society.
The Edwin James Bicentennial Project will culminate on the summit of Pikes Peak on July 14, 2020 with a gathering of family and friends to commemorate Edwin's achievement as the first documented ascent. Additionally, in conjunction with the gathering at the summit, there will be an exhibit of photographs at the Manitou Springs Heritage Center located at the base of Pikes Peak. The only thing missing is a quality, heritage level book, which is the purpose of this funding campaign. A book of this nature is very expensive to publish.
Book Description: - Title: On Common Ground
- Hardcover
- 9.5x9.5
- 152 pages
- 200, limited edition, signed copies
- Text by Mark James
- 25 black & white photographs by Mark James
- Botanical illustrations by Melissa Carmon
The funds raised in this campaign will offset the costs to produce and publish the book including associated expenses and potential cost overruns. The goal is to raise these funds very quickly if the book is to be ready by the July event. In other words, the funds need to be in hand no later than June 6, 2020 to make the deadline.
On a personal note, I think we all hope to be remembered and have our accomplishments carry forward to the next generation. Edwin's life and history is testament to that. After the event on the summit of Pikes Peak is done; after the exhibit comes down, and everyone goes home, this book will be a lasting record of both Edwin James and the landscape wilderness that he explored.
People like a good story, and the life of Edwin James is a good story. To the general public, Edwin is an obscure figure of early American Western history. To historians and scientists, he is actually fairly well known. As a botanist and physician, Edwin's contributions are significant. But his story doesn't end there. In the decades following the Long Expedition, Edwin would find himself embroiled in noble and ethical causes. He was an outspoken advocate on behalf of the environment, the Indian, temperance, and ultimately as an abolitionist with his homestead in Burlington, Iowa as a station along the Underground Railroad.
Biographical Information:
Mark James is a black & white landscape photographer with 45 years of experience and is an ancestor of Edwin James. Mark exhibits in museums and presently has a traveling exhibit curated by the Dubuque Museum of Art.
Melissa Carmon is an award winning artist who studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and Colorado State University and whose work is held in private and corporate collections worldwide. Melissa lives in Colorado and is a member of the Colorado Native Plants Society.
Organizer
Mark James
Organizer
Wellington, CO