SIR JOHN FRANKLIN'S JOURNALS AND CORRESPONDENCE: THE FIRST ARCTIC LAND EXPEDITION, 1819-1822. by Davis, Richard C., editor. (Sir John Franklin.) - 1995

Toronto: Champlain Society, 1995. cix, 463 pp, (xxiii), large 8vo (9 1/2" H), red cloth with gold lettering/banding/emblem on spine (no dust jacket - as issued). Top edge gilt. Limited edition of 1250 copies, this copy unnumbered. B&w illustrations, 3 maps (2 double-page). "This volume contains nearly complete transcriptions of the extant journals kept by John Franklin during his expedition to the unknown northern coast of the North American continent in the years 1819 to 1822. Only a few abstracts and tables of observations from the extant journal books have been excluded, and they, for the most part, are available in the appendices to Franklin's published 'Narrative of a Journey to the Shores of the Polar Sea in the Years 1819, 20, 21, and 22'. The present volume also includes transcriptions of a selection of correspondence written during the preparation for and execution of Franklin's first expedition. While most of the letters included here were written by Franklin, some were written by other correspondents to Franklin. A few highly selective pieces were neither written nor recieved by Franklin, but bear special relevance to letters that Franklin wrote. The Introduction provides short biographies of some of the men involved, and then establishes an historical context in which to situate the 1819-22 expedition. The sources of the various documents are next identified, followed by an attempt to understand what brought about the deaths of 11 out of 20 men under Franklin's leadership." Some minor wrinkling to fore-edge of some pages.. Limited Edition. Hard Cover. Near Fine/No Jacket.