1885 Military Reconnaissance Alaska Schwatka 20 Folding Maps 1st Edition
$399.99
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Scarce first-edition United States military exploration report documenting Lieutenant Frederick Schwatka’s historic 1883 reconnaissance through Alaska and the Yukon region. Published in Washington by the Government Printing Office in 1885 as Senate Executive Document No. 2, 48th Congress, Second Session.
The expedition traveled from Chilkoot Inlet through the Alaskan interior toward Fort Selkirk and the Yukon River, recording the region’s geography, military usefulness, natural environment, travel conditions, and Alaska Native communities encountered along the route. The narrative allows the reader to follow an extraordinary nineteenth-century military expedition through territory that remained largely unknown to most Americans.
The volume contains 121 pages, 39 in-text illustrations, and all 20 original folding maps. These detailed maps trace the expedition’s surveyed route through mountain passes, glaciers, lakes, rivers, camps, and portions of the Yukon region.
Also laid in is an original period U.S. House of Representatives Public Document mailing wrapper bearing the printed title “Military Reconnaissance in Alaska, Schwatka, 1883” and a handwritten recipient address. This uncommon surviving piece of government distribution ephemera adds provenance and historical interest to the volume.
Original hardcover binding in overall good antique condition. Exterior shows age-related rubbing, fading, edge wear, and darkening, with the spine lettering faint but visible. Pages show expected toning and occasional spotting. The inner hinge/endpaper shows splitting, but the covers remain attached. All 20 folding maps are present. Several maps have tears or separations along folds or near their attachment points, including the examples clearly shown in the photographs. No restoration has been attempted. Please examine all photographs carefully for exact condition.
A substantial original source for collectors of Alaska, Arctic and Yukon exploration, Western Americana, cartography, Alaska Native history, United States military history, and nineteenth-century government publications. The exact book and original mailing wrapper pictured are the items the buyer will receive.
SKU V-1
1885 Military Reconnaissance Alaska Schwatka 20 Folding Maps 1st Edition
$399.99
The expedition traveled from Chilkoot Inlet through the Alaskan interior toward Fort Selkirk and the Yukon River, recording the region’s geography, military usefulness, natural environment, travel conditions, and Alaska Native communities encountered along the route. The narrative allows the reader to follow an extraordinary nineteenth-century military expedition through territory that remained largely unknown to most Americans.
The volume contains 121 pages, 39 in-text illustrations, and all 20 original folding maps. These detailed maps trace the expedition’s surveyed route through mountain passes, glaciers, lakes, rivers, camps, and portions of the Yukon region.
Also laid in is an original period U.S. House of Representatives Public Document mailing wrapper bearing the printed title “Military Reconnaissance in Alaska, Schwatka, 1883” and a handwritten recipient address. This uncommon surviving piece of government distribution ephemera adds provenance and historical interest to the volume.
Original hardcover binding in overall good antique condition. Exterior shows age-related rubbing, fading, edge wear, and darkening, with the spine lettering faint but visible. Pages show expected toning and occasional spotting. The inner hinge/endpaper shows splitting, but the covers remain attached. All 20 folding maps are present. Several maps have tears or separations along folds or near their attachment points, including the examples clearly shown in the photographs. No restoration has been attempted. Please examine all photographs carefully for exact condition.
A substantial original source for collectors of Alaska, Arctic and Yukon exploration, Western Americana, cartography, Alaska Native history, United States military history, and nineteenth-century government publications. The exact book and original mailing wrapper pictured are the items the buyer will receive.
SKU V-1