Description: Published in 1854 under the direction of the U.S. Navy and submitted to Congress; the report of the pre-Civil War exploration of the Amazon and its tributaries. Both volumes bound in original brown cloth, with “House Document” and decorative motifs embossed on cover boards and spines. Volume 1 is the report of Lt. Lewis Herndon and Volume 2 by Lt. Lardner Gibbon. Illustrated throughout. Published by R. Armstrong, Public Printer,Washington, DC. Two volumes, 417 and 339 pp., respectively. Illustrated with 16 plates in Volume I, 36 plates in Volume 2. Bookshelf Showpiece First-Edition Set. Historic documentation of the geography, anthropology, ecology, and natural history of South America. Suitable as investment books or a bespoke gift. Overall condition of books is Very Good. Cover corners gently bumped. Minimal edge wear except chips at top and bottom of spine of Vol. 2. Bindings are solid. Light foxing throughout both volumes, but significantly less than most other copies of this set. No maps present.· About the Expedition and this Report: "Exploration of the Valley of the Amazon is a two volume publication by two young USN lieutenants William Lewis Herndon (vol. 1) and Lardner A. Gibbon (vol. 2). Herndon split the main party in two so that he and Gibbon could explore two different areas of the Valley of the Amazon.In 1851 William Lewis Herndon was ordered to head an expedition exploring the Valley of the Amazon –a vast uncharted area. Departing Lima, Peru, 21 May 1851, Lieut. Herndon, Lieut. Lardner Gibbon, and a small party of six men pressed into the wild and treacherously beautiful jungles. They split up and took different routes to gather even more information on this vast area. After a journey of 4,366 miles, which took Herndon through wilderness from sea level to heights of 16,199 feet, Herndon reached the city of Pará, Brazil on 11 April 1852. On 26 January 1853 Herndon submitted an encyclopedic and profusely illustrated 414-page report to the Secretary of the Navy John P. Kennedy. The report was later published as Exploration of the Valley of the Amazon.The two volumes, one written by Lieutenant Herndon and the other by Lieutenant Gibbon, were so unusual at that time and of such importance that in an unusual move, it was immediately ordered, "10,000 additional copies be printed for the use of the Senate." Three months later another 20,000 copies were ordered; the book became an international best-seller. [Original House of Representatives printing in this listing]Their orders were to report on all possible conditions in the Amazon region that they would each have to traverse alone from Lima, Peru on the Pacific coast to Para, Brazil,the mouth of the Amazon. The two volumes were published by presidential order." (from Wikipedia)We will ship USPS Media Mail. For international shipping, please contact us for a quote. We proudly ship in reused Amazon boxes whenever possible. If you have any questions about this or any of our books,feel free to contact us and/or request additional photos.Who are we: This is another listing from "Nana's Top Shelf," a collection of first editions and other fine volumes collected over a lifetime from estate sales and booksellers across the East Coast and Europe. The collection specializes in late 19th and early 20th century illustrated children's books, fairy tales and folklore.
Price: 190 USD
Location: Davis, California
End Time: 2024-11-05T22:56:09.000Z
Shipping Cost: 7.63 USD
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Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Binding: Hardcover
Place of Publication: New York
Language: English
Special Attributes: Illustrated
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
Topic: Atlases
Subject: Reference
Original/Facsimile: Original
