Narrative of The Expedition of an American Squadron to the China Seas and Japan, performed in the years 1852, 1853, and 1854, under the Command of Commodore M. C. Perry, United States Navy, By Order of the Government of the United States

Hawks, Francis L.

Published by D. Appleton and Company, New York, NY, 1856

About this Item

Compiled by Francis L. Hawks, printed by Appleton, NY, 1856. This is the first one-volume edition, often referred to as the "trade edition." 10.25 x 7 inches. Medium brown cloth, gold embossed cover and spine, all quite faded. Note: the binding has completely but cleanly detached from text block. Binding is separated into front board, spine panel, and rear board. The disbound text block has integrity, with no cracks in evidence. With vii & 624 numbered pages, including appendix and index. Errata slip tipped in. Profusely illustrated with approximately 9 steel engraved plates (most with tissue guards), 68 full-page wood engraved plates, 11 maps, and numerous vignettes. Fold-out maps at pp. 94 [wrinkled and with a tear], 172, 174, 186, 226, 260, 266, 478, 494, 500, & 572. Overall age toning; even rather than spotty. Occasional light to moderate foxing to some of the plates. Sabin 30968 lists 89 plates; but there is no plate list present to indicate exactly how many plates should be present. This volume does not include the suppressed "bathing scene" plate. Given the disbound condition, this copy rated Fair to Good Minus. An excellent candidate for conservation/rebacking the original binding. 4 lbs. 2 oz. weight. The complete work was published by the U.S. Congress in three volumes. With thanks to Schilb Antiquarian for the following commentary: "Matthew Perry was one of the most important American Naval officers during the 19th-century. While he was notable for his involvement in the War of 1812 and the Mexican-American War, his most famous accomplishment came as the leader of a voyage to Japan beginning in 1852 aboard the East India Squadron. This series of short visits sought to pursue Japanese trade treaties, but Perry and his crew discovered much more; Japanese and Chinese cultures, politics, coal mining and agriculture, as well as attempts at occupation of Formosa. While many events came from this expedition, according to Hill, the most important result was that the visit contributed to the collapse of the feudal regime and to the modernization of Japan. The events of this expedition were recorded by Perry and Francis Hawks in the 1856 account.". Seller Inventory # 008056

Bibliographic Details

Title: Narrative of The Expedition of an American ...

Publisher: D. Appleton and Company, New York, NY

Publication Date: 1856

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Fair

Edition: 1st Edition