Item #70806 History of the Expedition Under the Command of Captains Lewis and. Meriwether LEWIS, William CLARK.

History of the Expedition Under the Command of Captains Lewis and

Item #70806

LEWIS, Meriwether, and William CLARK. 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.... Philadelphia: Published by Bradford and Inskeep..., 1814. Two volumes. Five maps and charts. Folding map supplied in facsimile. Uniformly bound to style in full calf, gilt leather labels. Contemporary ownership signature on front flyleaf and unobtrusive early library stamp on titlepage and one leaf of first volume. Slight foxing and toning. Very good. 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. Sets of Lewis and Clark have become increasingly difficult to find, especially as Stephen Ambrose' excellent book, the Ken Burns documentary, and the expedition's bicentennial have further widened the already broad appeal of the work. One of the greatest books in all Americana. WAGNER-CAMP 13:1. PRINTING & THE MIND OF MAN 272. GROLIER AMERICAN 100, 30. HOWES L317. TWENEY 89, 44. GRAFF 2477. SABIN 40828. CHURCH 1309. FIELD 928. ST.

Price: $18,500.00

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