Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. History of the Expedition Under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark to the Pacif...

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Volume II of the First Edition of Lewis and Clark's Expedition

Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. History of the Expedition Under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark to the Pacific Ocean.... Volume II Only. [Philadelphia: Bradford and Inskeep, 1814].

First edition. Originally published in two volumes, only Volume II is offered here. Octavo. 522 pages, lacking the preliminary pages. Three full-page maps: Great Falls of Columbia River, The Great Shoot or Rapid, and Mouth of Columbia River.

Nineteenth-century binding of full leather. Spine has five compartments between four raised bands. Gilt lettering and rules to spine; gilt dulled. Leather quite worn, particularly at extremities; gouge to lower rear joint measuring approximately a quarter of an inch in diameter. Boards bowed. Green endpapers. Glue discoloration along edges of both pastedowns. The preliminary pages i-vii are missing, and only approximately one-sixth of page ix is present; text begins with beginning of first chapter titled "Up the Missouri" on page [1]. Pages are toned with heavy spotting and soiling, with coffee splashes to last two printed leaves. Several pages are dog-eared, with occasional paper loss to bottom corners, not affecting text; a few closed tears throughout. The leaves containing the Great Falls and the Great Shoot maps have short tears at fore-edge, with the tear to the first map extending approximately three-quarters of an inch into the map. Inked ownership name to front free endpaper, penciled name and inked number to fly-leaf, penciled notations on last two blank pages, and inked names and sentiment to rear endpapers. Binding still tight. Good condition.

"First authorized and complete account of the most important western exploration and the first of many overland narrative[s] to follow" (Howes), published almost ten years after Lewis and Clark's expedition up the Missouri began." Though unsuccessful in their attempt to find a transcontinental water route, they had demonstrated the feasibility of overland travel to the western coast, a feasibility which was greatly enhanced a few year later by the discovery of the South Pass across the Rockies" (Printing and the Mind of Man). Only 1,417 copies printed.

Graff 2477. Howes L317. Printing and the Mind of Man 272. Wagner-Camp 13:1.