[TRAVEL & EXPLORATION]. KANE, Elisha Kent (1820–1857). The U.S. Grinnell Expedition in Search of Sir John Franklin. A Personal Narrative. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1954.
8vo. 3 maps (one folding), 12 plates (some tinted) including frontispiece, numerous in–text illustrations. Original brown cloth with central device gilt with blind lozenge on upper cover, gilt–lettered spine (light wear at extreme ends, some worming to front joint, ghosting or browning to endsheets). Provenance: Margaret D. Huntington (ownership signature dated 1884); John L. Davies (ownership signature). Early edition, first published in 1853 but a warehouse fire broke out destroying most of the copies. It was then reissued in 1854 with a new title–page.
[LAID IN WITH:] A CLIPPED SIGNATURE (“JOHN FRANKLIN”), mounted on old stock. Arctic Bibliography 8381; Hill 903; Sabin 36998.
[With:] KANE. Arctic Explorations: The Second Grinnell Expedition in Search of Sir John Franklin. Philadelphia: Childs & Peterson, 1856. 2 volumes, 8vo. Engraved additional title–page, 2 folding maps, numerous plates including frontispieces and in–text illustrations. Contemporary half brown morocco (light edgewear). FIRST EDITION.