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VANCOUVER, George (1757-1798) Voyage of Discovery to the North Pacific Ocean, and Round the World. Performed in the Years 1790, 1791, 1792, 1793, 1794, and 1795, in the Discovery Sloop of War, and Armed Tender Chatham "Of All Modern Exploring Voyages to the Pacific those of Cook, La Perouse and Vancouver were the Most Important" (Howes) "Vancouver, who had served on Cook's third voyage, was made commander of an expedition whose express purpose was to reclaim wherever possible British rights to the Northwest Coast of America. Vancouver sailed to the Pacific via Australia, where he discovered and charted King George Sound and Cape Hood, passed Van Deiman's Land, and visited New Zealand, Hawaii and the Northwest Coast. During the course of three seasons, he surveyed Alaska and the Northwest Coast, investigated the Strait of Juan de Fuca, discovered the Strait of Georgia, and circumnavigated Vancouver Island. He visited San Francisco, Monterey, and other Spanish settlements in Alta California ' (Graff ). "His voyage is important not only for the magnificent charts and splendid views that accompanied it, but also for the valuable and extensive amount of information that it provided on the Spanish settlements, the Indian tribes, and the physical features of the countries that he visited. It is one of the 'classics' of late eighteenth-century geographical literature" (Howell). London Printed for G.G. and J. Robinson, and J. Edwards, 1798. First Edition. Three Quarto volumes, lacking folio atlas. Eighteen engraved plates, one of which is a map in the text. Typical uniform toning with some offsetting from boldly struck plates. Complete with half-titles. Text volumes rebound in full tree calf leather binding. Boards lined in double rule and ornamentation. Interior edge and border edge highly decorated in gilt. Spines display 5 raised bands and 6 panels. Exquisite decorative gilt tooling to spine. Decorated red leather title labels and green leather volume labels to spine. Beautiful green marbled end-papers. Fine contemporary binding in style by Richard Smart, Old English Bindery, Vancouver, British Columbia. No Previous owner's bookplate. Plates and text very clean with some very light toning. An excellent set without atlas. Cowan, p. 655. Graff 4456. Hill I, p. 303. Howes V23. Sabin 98443. HBS 64761. Zamorano 80: Number 77 Beautiful Rebound Classic of Northwest Exploration $14,500. 4to - over 9¾ - 12" tall. Seller Inventory # 002854
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