CARVER, Jonathan. Travels through the interior parts of North America in the years 1766, 1767, and 1768. London: Printed for the author and sold by J. Walter, 1778. 8vo. [xx], xvi, [17]-543, [1] pp. FIRST EDITION. Complete with all blanks. With 2 folding engraved maps and 4 engraved plates.
Beautifully rebound in leather boards with marbled endpapers. Near fine condition with clean interior and only a small tear on one of the maps (as pictured).
A landmark in early American exploration literature, first published in London in 1778. The book chronicles Carver’s nearly two-year expedition across over 7,000 miles, including interactions with Native American tribes like the Ojibwe and Dakota, and offers the first published mention of “Oregon.” Carver’s work offered Europeans a vivid picture of the upper Mississippi River valley and its Native American inhabitants, contributing to early Euro-American ideas about the Pacific Coast. His portrayal of Indigenous customs helped challenge stereotypes of the era, and his maps, shaped by Native knowledge, influenced western geography until further explorations. Despite debates about its reliability, Carver’s narrative inspired subsequent expeditions like those of Alexander Mackenzie and the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Carver (1710-1780) was an explorer, mapmaker, author, and one of the first white men to explore and map areas of Minnesota and Wisconsin. He kept a detailed journal account of his expedition to discover a Northwest Passage to the Pacific Ocean which became the focal point of his writing. After failing to find money to publish his journal, Carver went to London. He left his wife and seven children never to see them again. Although his journal was received with praise and popularity, he never received any money for his book and died in poverty. Howes, C215; Sabin, 11184.
