NARRATIVE OF A JOURNEY TO THE SHORES OF THE POLAR SEA, IN THE YEARS 1819, 20, 21, AND 22...WITH AN APPENDIX ON VARIOUS SUBJECTS RELATING TO SCIENCE AND NATURAL HISTORY

by Franklin, John, Capt.:

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Book desription: London: John Murray, 1823.. iii-xvi,768pp., plus thirty plates (eleven in color) and four folding maps. Quarto. Mid-19th-century three-quarter morocco and marbled boards. Corners scuffed, joints rubbed. Bookplate of Henry Marquand on the front free endpaper. Scattered foxing, occasional offsetting. Text and maps are clean and bright. Overall a very good, attractive copy. With the errata slip not found with all copies. The plates in this copy are bound as detailed on the list of illustrations, entirely in the text, with no plate as a frontispiece. The narrative of Franklin's first expedition of 1819- 22. Franklin, along with naturalist Dr. John Richardson, was appointed to lead an expedition overland from Hudson Bay to east of the mouth of the Copper-Mine River for the purposes of establishing the latitudes and longitudes of the northern coast of America, developing a correct geographical description of the country, and searching for a northwest passage. Franklin's narrative includes a great deal of detail regarding the country, native Indians, the murder of Robert Hood, and the disappointment in failing to find a passage. Sabin calls the appendix "valuable" in its contribution to the knowledge of natural history in the area. The handsome plates include illustrations of the native Indians and Eskimos (many of them attractively colored), artifacts, types of fish, and ships at sea. "'The views of Arctic scenery with which these volumes are both illustrated and embellished, are of extreme beauty.' - QUARTERLY REVIEW" - Sabin. Two issues were published of this first volume, both in 1823. The present issue is the first, since it contains an errata slip listing changes which were incorporated into the second issue. The second issue consists of xv,[2],783,[1] pages and appears to contain the same plates, although several bibliographers call for four additional plates in the second issue (see Streeter and Sabin). The second issue contains a longer introduction, with an additional note about the moral condition of the Indians. The main text appears to be extremely similar (though not identical) up to page 730, in the midst of John Richardson's "Botanical Appendix," and thereafter a number of changes are incorporated into the second issue. The third edition of Wagner-Camp lists the second issue, and the fourth edition of Wagner-Camp lists the first issue. One of the maps called for in the list of plates and maps, "[Route] From Slave Lake to the Arctic Sea," is not present, and "An Outline to Shew the Connected discoveries of Capts. Ross, Parry & Franklin in the years 1818, 19, 20 and 21" is in its place. Apparently this was the map that was issued with the book, since it is contained in Streeter's copy and that of the Bancroft Library, which are also copies of this first issue (although evidently Wagner's copy contained the "correct" map). The error in the list of maps printed in the book is not corrected in the second issue, and the "Outline..." map is present in that volume as well. WAGNER-CAMP 23:1. FIELD 560. HILL 635. GRAFF 1406. LANDE 1181. PEEL 80. PILLING 1326. SABIN 25624. TPL 1248. ABBEY 635.

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