[Lewis, Meriwether, and William Clark] | Engraved map from the rarest of the early editions of the Lewis and Clark narrative

[Lewis, Meriwether, and William Clark]

Map of Lewis and Clark's Track, Across the Western Portion of North America from the Mississippi to the Pacific Ocean: by order of the executive of the United States in 1804, 5 & 6. Dublin: J. Christie, 1817

One sheet (211 x 375 mm). Engraved map; some offsetting, one or two stray spots, old folds with short marginal splits.

From the first Dublin edition of Lewis and Clark's narrative.

The present map is from the rare 1817 Dublin edition, and closely resembles that of the 1814 Philadelphia edition. The map—a cartographical landmark—represents the culmination of the expedition, which covered some eight thousand miles.

The expedition, which was the brainchild of Thomas Jefferson, was the final attempt to find a water route across the continent. While the search was unsuccessful, Lewis, Clark, and their companions were the first white men to cross the western half of North America. Theirs is the most famous of all western travels narratives, and the cornerstone of any collection of Western Americana. The first Dublin edition is extremely rare, with only two complete copies appearing at auction in the last twenty-five years.

"The definitive account of the most important exploration of the North American continent" (Wagner-Camp).

REFERENCES:

Graff 2482; Howes l317 ("c"); Literature of the Lewis and Clark Expedition 5a.6; Sabin 40831; Wagner-Camp 13:6