Rare Book Monthly
Book Catalogue Reviews - September - 2004 Issue
Voyages and More<br>From Hordern House
Some of John Gould's Mammals of Australia.
Nathaniel Portlock and George Dixon, like George Vancouver, had served on Captain Cook's final voyage, and set out on their own expedition to America's west coast in 1785. Portlock was the commander while Dixon captained a second ship. They continued Cook's explorations, unsuccessfully sought a northwest passage, and were engaged in fur trading. After their return in 1788, both wrote books with nearly identical titles. This one is Dixon's version, entitled A Voyage Round the World; but more particularly to the North-West Coast of America: performed in 1785, 1786, 1787, and 1788... Item 23. AUD $6,000 (US $4,240).
Here is one more trip to America's west coast before we move on. Eugene Duflot de Mofras visited the Pacific coast on behalf of France in the early 1840s. The book is called Exploration du territoire de l'Oregon, des Californies et de la mer Vermeille... This rare book is considered one of the best accounts of this area shortly before the Americans would arrive in droves, either as settlers traversing the Oregon Trail, or as those seeking their fortunes in the California Gold Rush. The French were interested in learning more about the commercial potential of northern Mexico along with American, British, and Russian settlements farther up the coast. Item 24. AUD $48,500 (US $34,260).
As long as we're brushing up our French, here is Voyage dans L'Hemisphere Austral et Autour du Monde... This is the first French edition of Captain Cook's second voyage, and it is an exquisite five-volume set in a contemporary French binding. Cook's second voyage took place during 1772-1775 and it was the first time Europeans crossed the Antarctic Circle, searching for the legendary southern continent. This edition was printed in Paris in 1778. Item 11. AUD $9,500 (US $6,707).
Item 14 is an exceedingly rare book relating to Cook's second voyage. It is Resa till Goda Hopps-Uden... by Anders Sparrman. Sparrman was a Swedish naturalist who joined and exited the expedition from Cape Town. This is a three-volume set that was forty years in the making. Volume 1 was completed in 1783, five years after the voyage's conclusion, while 2 and 3 were published in 1802 and 1818. This is the Swedish edition. One in English was published in 1785, but naturally, this covered only volume 1. The remainder was not published in English until 1944. A full set, like this, is considered extremely rare. AU $58,750 (US $41,397).
