ACCOUNT OF THE RUSSIAN DISCOVERIES BETWEEN ASIA AND AMERICA. TO WHICH ARE ADDED, THE CONQUEST OF SIBERIA, AND THE HISTORY OF THE TRANSACTIONS AND COMMERCE BETWEEN RUSSIA AND CHIN

London: J. Nichols for T. Cadell, 1780. xxiii,[1],344,[13]pp. plus four engraved folding maps and folding plate. Quarto. Contemporary calf, rebacked with gilt spine, leather label. Modern bookplate on front pastedown, frontispiece folding map and titlepage with small old institutional stamp to verso of titlepage and last leaf of text, foxing to maps. Good plus. "The second edition, revised and corrected," with the same title and imprint as the first edition, published the same year, and with almost identical collation. One of the keystone works on the history of Russian America, including a number of narratives of exploration herein published for the first time in English. Coxe spent some time in Russia, working to establish the authenticity of the narratives he had collected. This volume proved an immensely popular work. A supplement appeared in 1787, and two other slightly revised editions appeared before a much expanded fourth was published in 1803. The engraved maps include a general map of Russia, one of Krenitzin and Levasheff's voyage, one of Synd's voyage, and one of Shalauroff's voyage (with an inset of the Bear Islands). Finally, there is a folding engraved view of the Chinese town of Maimatschin. Also included is a "Specimen of the Aleutian Language," consisting of twelve words and numerals 1 through 10. LADA-MOCARSKI 29 (ref). SABIN 17309. HILL 391 (ref). PILLING 916. HOWES C834. WICKERSHAM 5882. REESE, BEST OF THE WEST 10 (note).