Authentic Narrative of a Voyage to the Pacific Ocean:
Item #81011
[RICKMAN, John]. Authentic Narrative of a Voyage to the Pacific Ocean: Performed by Captain Cook, and Captain Clerke, in His Britannic Majesty's Ships, the Resolution, and Discovery, in the Years, 1776, 1777, 1778, 1779, and 1780. Including, a Faithful Account of all Their Discoveries in This Last Voyage, the Unfortunate Death of Captain Cook, at the Island of O-WHY-EE, and the Return of the Ships to England Under Captain Gore...By an Officer on Board the Discover. Philadelphia: Printed and Sold by Robert Bell, 1783. Two volumes bound in one. [2],[9]-96,99-112 (as issued); [113]-229,[1]pp., plus two pages of publisher's advertisements. Contemporary calf, spine gilt with raised bands, gilt leather label. Boards scuffed and rubbed, corners worn at corners, front hinge split but cords holding strong. Text tanned and stained, large damp stain from p.170 to the end; some insect damage to rear endpaper. Still a good copy, in original, unsophisticated condition. The very rare first American printing of Rickman's account of Cook's third voyage. This is the second account of a voyage to the American West Coast to be published in the United States, the first being John Ledyard's narrative published at Hartford earlier the same year. As Forbes indicates, "This work has often confused bibliographers since the publisher used the title of the William Ellis narrative for this edition instead of the proper Rickman title. This may have been done to give the work greater salability since the Rickman account received mixed reviews in the London Press." Forbes also notes that the authorship of this work was not firmly established until 1921: "The authorship of this work and its English precursor (JOURNAL OF CAPTAIN COOKS LAST VOYAGE TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN, London, 1781) was not firmly established until 1921. This first full account in English of the third voyage was originally published anonymously to avoid legal action by the Admiralty. The author, John Rickman, was a second lieutenant aboard the Discovery (being discharged to the Resolution on August 23, 1779). While at China, Captain King...took possession of all logs, journals, maps, and rawings...Despite this action, the author was somehow able to secretly retain a copy of his journal, which formed the basis of this text." One crucial aspect of the third voyage surrounded Rickman with controversy -.
Price: $42,500.00