Item #8344 The Life of John Ledyard, the American Traveller; comprising Selections from his Journals and Correspondence. Jared Sparks.
The Life of John Ledyard, the American Traveller; comprising Selections from his Journals and Correspondence.

The Life of John Ledyard, the American Traveller; comprising Selections from his Journals and Correspondence.

Cambridge MA: Hilliard and Brown, 1829. Second edition. Hardcover. John Ledyard, the Connecticut traveler and adventurer, was one of the earliest great American explorers. He sailed with Captain James Cook on his third voyage, and so visited the Pacific, the Northwest and Alaska and witness to the discovery of Hawaii. It is said that he was an oarsman on the boat that deposited Cook ashore for his fatal interchange with the Hawaiians, and so he witnessed the great explorer's demise. An inveterate traveler, Ledyard attempted to cross over to America by traversing Russia, at Thomas Jefferson's behest. He later disappeared while exploring the Nile in 1789. The writing of Ledyard's biography was eventually to come to Sparks, a noted American historian. A substantial portion of the text relates to Cook's third voyage, and contains critical comments on Ledyard's narrative found nowhere else. Second edition, London and Cambridge editions of 1828 as well as a London "second" edition of 1834; Holmes 86 (1828 edition), Howes S818. Sabin 88991. Lada-Mocarski 92 (ref). Forbes HAWAII 739.. 8vo, xii, 310pp. Orig. brown floral patterned cloth expertly rebacked, tasteful but modern title label. Item #8344

Price: $425.00

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