Beschreibung:

Title: 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 in the years 1804-5-6 by Order of the Government of the United States Author: Lewis, Meriwether & William Clark Place: Philadelphia Publisher: Bradford and Inskeep Date: 1814 Description: 2 volumes. xxviii, 470; ix, 522 pp. Introduction by Thomas Jefferson Preface by Paul Allen 8½x5¼, period full polished calf, decorative embossed ruling near joints, spines tooled in gilt, each with a gilt-lettered maroon morocco spine label, marbled endpapers. First Edition. Official account of the most famous and most important expedition of exploration in U.S. history, a monumental undertaking executed with unbelievable skill and bravery forever embedded in the American consciousness. Derived from the journals of Lewis and Clark and other members of the expedition, the work is a rich mine of new information about a previously unexplored region. Originally expected to be published shortly after the return of the expedition in 1806, the work was delayed by a number of circumstances, including Lewis's death in 1809, and Clark's various government appointments. Although Paul Allen is listed as the editor, the major work was actually done by Nicholas Biddle, a gifted young Philadelphia lawyer who was unable to complete the final portion of the work due to his election as a state legislator, and he enlisted Paul Allen for the task. Allen's major contribution, according to Cutright, was to induce Thomas Jefferson to write a biographical sketch of Captain Lewis in tribute to his former secretary and hero of the expedition who took his own life (some say he was murdered) four years before the publication of this history. This copy lacks all the plates and maps, including the extremely valuable and often lacking folding map. Graff 2477; Hill, Pacific Voyages, p.180; Howes L317; Streeter Sale 1777; Wagner-Camp 13:1. Engraved yellow paper bookplate of James McBride in each. Lot Amendments Condition: Rubbing (including to joints and extremities), front joints starting to split, 1" square piece at Volume I spine head peeling downward, ends and corners a bit bumped; hinges cracking, most of pp. 133-134 in Volume I missing, some foxing and darkening throughout, early owner's rubberstamps and inked signatures (some are crossed-out and one dated 1822) at various spots; good or better overall. Item number: 172317