1750. · Gottingen
by Ellis, Henry
Gottingen, 1750.. [24],19,[4],364,[10]pp. plus two folding maps and nine engraved plates. Antique-style calf, elaborately blindstamped, spine gilt. Light foxing. Very good. Untrimmed and unopened. The first German edition, and perhaps the rarest of the translations, of this important work. The English title, published two years earlier, is A VOYAGE TO HUDSON'S BAY, BY THE DOBBS GALLEY AND CALIFORNIA, IN THE YEARS 1746 AND 1747, FOR DISCOVERING A NORTH WEST PASSAGE.... The first part contains a synopsis of twenty-three English voyages to discover the Northwest Passage and the history of the rise of the Hudson's Bay Company. The second part gives an account of a voyage under Capt. Moor and Francis Smith, on which Ellis served as hydrographer, that finally proved that there was no Northwest Passage from Hudson's Bay. Of prime importance in this work are the many observations on the customs of the Eskimos, which were then practically unknown. HARMSWORTH 19:6447. SABIN 22314. HILL 540 (English ed). TPL 207 (English ed).
(Inventory #: WRCAM50642)