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A fine set, complete with the half-titles, of “one of the most important [voyages] ever made”
By VANCOUVER, Captain George, 1798
A Voyage of Discovery to the North Pacific Ocean, and Round the World; In Which the Coast of North-West America has been Carefully Examined and Accurately Surveyed undertaken by His Majesty’s Command, Principally with a View to Ascertain the Existence of any Navigable Communication between the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans; and Performed in the years 1790–1795, in the “Discovery” Sloop of War, and Armed Tender “Chatham” under the Command of Captain George Vancouver.
- Author: VANCOUVER, Captain George
- Publication place: London
- Publisher: Printed for G.G. and J. Robinson, Paternoster Row; and J. Edwards, Pall-Mall
- Publication date: 1798.
- Physical description: First edition, four volumes (comprising folio atlas, and three volumes of text, 4to), contemporary tree calf, rebacked, full gilt panelled spines, red and green morocco lettering pieces, atlas expertly rebacked to style in half-calf over original boards.
- Inventory reference: 1043
Notes
The scarce first edition of “one of the most important [voyages] ever made” (Hill).
Collation:
Text: Three volumes, 4to (305 by 235mm), [8, including half-title, title, and dedication], xxix, [9, blank, two page advertisement, two page list of plates, and four page contents], 432pp.; [10, including half-title, title, four page contents, list of plates, blank], 504pp.; [10, including half-title, title, four page contents, list of plates, blank], 505pp., [3, errata], 18 engraved plates.
Atlas (560 x 430 mm): 16 engraved maps, charts, and coastal profiles, several folding.
Bibliography
- Ferguson 281
- Ferguson, J. (1941). Bibliography of Australia. Sydney: Angus and Robertson.
- Forbes 298
- Frobres, D., ed. Hawaiian National Bibliography, 1780–1900. University of Hawaii Press.
- Hill p. 303
- Wantrup 63a.
Image gallery
Biography
Captain George Vancouver (1757–1798)
Captain George Vancouver was an English naval explorer. He entered the Royal Navy at the age of 13, and served on the HMS Resolution on Captain James Cook’s second voyage, and on Discovery on Cook’s third voyage. He was present when the expedition discovered Hawaii. He was also present at the Nootka Crisis when Britain and Spain disagreed over the right to colonise the northwest coast of America, and after the Nootka Convention ended the conflict Vancouver was commissioned to survey the coast of Nootka Sound in 1790.
After returning to Britain, Vancouver was given command of an expedition tasked with exploring the Pacific in 1791. The expedition travelled via South Africa through to Asia, stopping at Australia, Tahiti and New Zealand to survey the coastlines and collect samples. It then worked its way up the west coast of America, surveying the coast in detail up to Alaska. This survey would prove that the mythical Strait of Anian, or Northwest Passage, did not exist, at least in the location traditionally given. In 1792, Vancouver joined forces with a Spanish expedition to explore the Georgia Strait before he went to Nootka to receive reclaimed British possessions from the Spanish; the island which the port was on was renamed Vancouver Island. He sent an expeditionary force to try to verify Robert Gray’s map of the lower Columbia River. He returned to Britain in 1795, after circumnavigating South America.
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A fine set, complete with the half-titles, of “one of the most important [voyages] ever made”
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