ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE, OR SCENES BEYOND THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS OF THE FAR WEST

 Irving, Washington. ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE, OR SCENES BEYOND THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS OF THE FAR WEST. BY WASHINGTON IRVING. London: Richard Bentley, New Burlington Street, 1837.

See photos. Condition VG

18.8x11.5 cm (octavo), three volumes: pp. [1-2] [1] 2-4 [5] 6-303 [304: blank]; [1-2] [1] 2-4 [5] 6-292; [1-2] [1] 2-4 [5] 6-302,  nineteenth-century three-quarter polished calf and marbled boards, spine panels richly tooled in gold, green and brown leather author and title pieces,  First edition. The British edition, published in May 1837, preceded the American edition published in Philadelphia by Carey, Lea & Blanchard in July 1837.

 Irving's narrative contains a long account of the expedition led by Joseph Walker, whom Bonneville sent west to to California in search of new fur sources. Irving undoubtedly based his description on Bonneville's account, but because the latter did not lead the expedition himself, his story is less reliable than those of eye witnesses such as Zenas Leonard" (Wagner, Camp and Becker). Howes I85. Sabin 35125. Smith 4978. Wagner, Camp and Becker, The Plains & the Rockies (1982) 67:1. BAL 10150. Langfeld and Blackburn, p. 37. Rubbing to calf along outer joints, volume one spine ends lightly discolored, a good copy. 

2 Volumes. 8vo. pp. xv, 333, [1 leaf]; viii, 262. folding lithographed map & 2 lithographed frontis. (both being the same view of Fort Nez Percés: the frontis.   The appendix contains a vocabulary of the Nez Percé language.