Journal of a Voyage for the Discovery of a North-West Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific: performed in the years 1819-20, in his Majesty's Ships, Hecla and Griper, under the orders of William Edward Parry, R.N. and commander of the Expedition. With an Appendix, containing the Scientific and other Observations.
London John Murray. 1821. 4to. 27cm, Second Edition, xxix,[1]310,clxxix[2]p., two pages of publisher's ads., with 20 engraved plates and maps (inc. 4 folding maps & 5 plates of landfalls), in full contemporary tree calf, crushed morocco label, gilt decorated panel borders, watered wave decorated dark blue-green endpapers, publishers stained yellow edges, some slight edge wear on the boards but a near fine attractive copy.(cgc). Item #40769
Notes: The plates and maps are fine clear strikes with minimal foxing. There is transfer on the tissue guards as usual. There is a small oval personal stamp on the verso of the titles page with some unobtrusive bleed through and a small crest type blind stamp, (smaller in size than a dime), on the dedication page after the title page. This second edition is identical to the first, from the same type-setting and with the same plates and maps. The errors were corrected and the errata slip removed. cf.TPL 1205. A.B. 13145. Sabin 58860. cf. Lande S1751. Hill p255. Waterston p37. This was a very successful polar voyage. Parry had a relatively ice free year and penetrated further into the Canadian Arctic than any previous expedition. This was also the first expedition to intentionally winter in the Arctic. A major book in the history of Arctic exploration. The year 1819 proved to be exceptionally ice free and Parry was able to penetrate through Lancaster Sound and Barrow Strait to Melville Island, into the heart of the Arctic, much further than had been reached previously. The ships successfully wintered on the south coast of Melville Island, the first to intentionally do so, and returned in 1820. In one season he had penetrated halfway to Bering Strait and had charted over a thousand miles of unknown coast. In doing so he demonstrated that an Arctic winter could be endured in safety if not comfort, and set the pattern for Arctic expeditions for a generation to come. Parry made two further attempts at the North-West Passage. In 1827 he tried to reach the North Pole and set a new northern record which stood until 1876. "This account, first in an awesome foursome, begins the story of Parry's quest. This voyage set a record to win a prize for Northwestern exploration. ...". Waterston.
Price: $1,100.00