Narrative of the United States exploring expedition, during the years 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842.

Philadelphia, Lea and Blanchard, 1845.5 volumes. Contemporary speckled calf, spines with raised bands, gilt ruled and green morocco title labels. With 11 folding maps (10 folding), 64 steel-engraved plates and ca. 300 wood-engravings in the text.Official trade edition, this edition and all later editions later than 1845 appeared without the atlas (Haskell p.40); the official first edition, of which only 100 copies were printed, issued also in 1845. - The first major American expedition, circumnavigated the globe under the command of Charles Wilkes between the summer of 1838 and the summer of 1842. He visited and explored the coast of South America, over 200 Pacific islands, Australia and New Zealand (1839-40), the Hawaiian Islands (1840-41), the northwest coast of America and California (1841) and the South Pacific again in 1841. In 1842 he visited South Africa. Wilkes did find icecovered land, now called Wilkes Land, west of Adélie Land. He also surveyed more than two thousand kilometres of Antarctic coastline, confirming the existence of a vast polar continent. The expedition was made up of a number of notable American scientists, and their botanical, natural history and geological findings are included. 'Wilkes was tried in a court-martial for numerous varieties of scandalous conduct, neglect of duty, cruelty, oppression and illegal punishment of seamen' (Conrad p.50). 'Charles Wilkes, no poster-boy of American polar exploration, was a flogging tyrant, paranoid and peevish, insecure and insensitive. Yet as 'Commander' of the United States Exploring Expedition of 1838-42, Wilkes achieved a great deal of lasting significance, not only in his relatively brief visit to Antarctica but throughout the four-year voyage, especially in the South Pacific Islands' (Stam, Books on ice, p.80). This expedition was probably the last voyage of discovery around the world completed entirely by sailing ships.- A nice set of Wilkes’s great United States Exploring Expedition. Haskell 3, Cf. Sabin 103994; Hill 1866; Ferguson 5584; NZNB 6072; Mendelssohn II, p.610; O'Reilly/Reitman 995; Forbes 1575.