JAMES, EDWIN. 1797-1861. Account of an Expedition from Pittsburgh to the Rocky Mountains ... Und...

JAMES, EDWIN. 1797-1861. Account of an Expedition from Pittsburgh to the Rocky Mountains ... Under the Command of Major Stephen H. Long. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme and Brown, 1823. 3 volumes. 8vo (215 x 135 mm). Large engraved folding map; frontispiece to each volume (2 hand-colored); 5 engraved plates (1 hand-colored); engraved folding geological plate. 19th-century half-green morocco and marbled boards. Rubbed, slight toning and spotting. FIRST ENGLISH EDITION. The expedition of Stephen Long, originally called the Yellowstone Expedition, was the third major American expedition across the Great Plains, following those of Lewis & Clark and Pike. Long was charged to explore the headwaters of the Yellowstone, but was unable to ascend the Missouri as intended. He did traverse present-day Kansas and Colorado to the Rockies. James was the botanist on the expedition and the work is based on his own observations, as well as the geological notes from Long, and the early journals of expedition zoologist Thomas Say. Interestingly, James's work gave rise to the enduring myth of the Great American Desert, characterizing the Great Plains as 'almost wholly unfit for cultivation, and of course uninhabitable by a people depending on agriculture for their subsistence.' Abbey Travel 650; Howes J-41; Sabin 35683; Wagner-Camp 25:2. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing