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Lewis, Meriwether, and William Clark
Description
- Lewis, Meriwether, and William Clark
- History of the Expedition under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark, to the Sources of the Missouri, thence across the Rocky Mountains and down to River Columbia and the Pacific Ocean, performed in the years 1804–5–6. By Order of the Government of the United States. Philadelphia: Bradford and Inskeep; and Abm. H. Inskeep, New York (J. Maxwell, Printer), 1814
- ink on paper; linen; goat (Nineteenth-century half red morocco)
Provenance
Literature
Condition
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
The expedition made its way from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean and back from spring 1804 through the fall of 1806. A myriad of circumstances—including Lewis's mysterious death—conspired to delay the publication of the official narrative of their travels for eight years, during which interval several unofficial and inaccurate accounts were published. The present edition was finally brought together from Lewis and Clark's journals by Paul Allen; Thomas Jefferson (who purchased twelve sets of the History of the Expedition) supplied a prefatory life of Lewis. Many copies were evidently issued without the large map tracing Lewis and Clark's 8000-mile trek.
Clark's map of the region west of the Great Lakes was vastly superior to any previous western map: "The narrow single chain of mountains that characterized many earlier maps was replaced by a complex system of ranges, and the courses of the Missouri and Snake rivers were shown for the first time in their approximately correct position" (Schwartz & Ehrenberg, Mapping of America). The five smaller maps and plans depict specific stretches of the Missouri and Columbia rivers.