LEWIS, MERIWETHER, AND WILLIAM CLARK.
Travels to the Source of the Missouri River and across the American Continent to the Pacific Ocean.... London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, 1814.
xxiv, 663, [1 ad] pp. Half-title. Frontispiece folding map: A Map of Lewis and Clark's Track. Across the Western Portion of North America, engraved by Neele after Samuel Lewis's copy of Clark's manuscript, 320 x 704 mm. 3 engraved plates showing 5 maps. 4to (268 x 205 mm). Period mottled calf, rebacked. Printing flaw on 2K1 affecting several words, ink numbering partially erased from b1, 1st plate foxed, last with light foxing, little offsetting to folding map, calf discolored, label removed from spine, new endpapers, edges rubbed.
FIRST ENGLISH EDITION OF THE OFFICIAL ACCOUNT OF LEWIS & CLARK. Following Lewis's death in 1809, the text was edited by Nicholas Biddle and Paul Allen, and the first edition was published in Philadelphia in 1814. The American sheets were sent to the publisher, Thomas Rees. In the preface, Rees states that "the only liberty that has been taken with the language, has been merely the correction of a few inadvertent grammatical or typographical errors" and the omission of Lewis's appendix on the state of the Indian nations ("as the subject is altogether of a local nature"). However, he does incorporate Jefferson's "Message on the Subject of this Expedition" of 19 February 1806 as well as an extract from Lewis's "Fort Mandan" letter of 17 [7th] April 1805 to Jefferson. The folding map is a close copy of the map in the American first edition. Field 929; Graff 2480; Hill 1018; Howes L317; Sabin 40829; Streeter sale 3128; Wagner-Camp 13; Wheat Transmississippi 317 (map).
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