History of the Expedition Under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark to the Sources of the Missouri, Thence Across the Rocky Mountains and Down the River Columbia to the Pacific Ocean. Performed During the Years 1804-5-6. By Order of the Government of the United States

Lewis, Meriwether, and William Clark

Edité par Bradford and Inskeep, Philadelphia, 1814

A propos de cet article

First edition. With 5 engraved plans and charts. The large folding map, issued with some copies, present in facsimile. xxviii, 470; [x], 522 pp. 2 vols. 8vo. The most famous of all western travel narratives, and the cornerstone of any collection of Western Americana. Described by Wagner-Camp as "the definitive account of the most important exploration of the North American continent," the book describes the expedition to explore the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase, undertaken from 1804 to 1806 by ascending the Missouri River to its source, crossing the Rocky Mountains, and reaching the Pacific Ocean. In total, the expedition covered some eight thousand miles in slightly more than twenty-eight months. They brought back the first reliable information about much of the area they traversed, made contact with the Indian inhabitants as a prelude to the expansion of the fur trade, and advanced by a quantum leap the geographical knowledge of the continent. This official account of the expedition is as much a landmark in Americana as the trip itself. The narrative has been reprinted many times and remains a perennial American bestseller. The observations in the text make it an essential work of American natural history, ethnography, and science. It is the first great U. S. government expedition, the first book on the Rocky Mountain West, and a host of other smaller firsts. It is among the most famous American books. Graff 2477; Howes L-317; PMM 272; Wagner-Camp 13:1; Literature of the Lewis and Clark Expedition 5a.1; Reese, Best of the West 37 Contemporary calf, rebacked. Foxing, a few edge tears, one text leaf supplied from another copy, early booksellers' catalogue clippings tipped in. Housed in a brown morocco backed slipcase With 5 engraved plans and charts. The large folding map, issued with some copies, present in facsimile. xxviii, 470; [x], 522 pp. 2 vols. 8vo.

N° de réf. du vendeur 370803

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: History of the Expedition Under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark to the Sources of the Missouri, Thence Across the Rocky Mountains and Down the River Columbia to the Pacific Ocean. Performed During the Years 1804-5-6. By Order of the Government of the United States
• Éditeur: Bradford and Inskeep, Philadelphia
• Date de parution: 1814
• Édition: First edition.
• Catalogues du vendeur:
  • Americana