Three Voyages for the Discovery of a North-West Passage, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and Narrative of an Attempt to reach the North Pole. Five volumes. With Plates.

Bookseller Notes

A very attractive set of Sir William Parry's account of his three voyages to the Northwest Passage, which were undertaken between 1819 and 1825.Parry's first voyage coincided with an unusually ice-free winter, which enabled him to traverse channels previously believed to be landlocked. Although the later expeditions - in more seasonally traditional weather - did not see him replicate his success, 'the immediate achievements of these voyages were the charting of hundreds of miles of coastline in the Canadian Arctic archipelago and the collecting of valuable data on Arctic natural history' (Hill). Indeed, these volumes are full of such detail; Parry records treacherous conditions, outlines meteorological phenomena such as the Aurora Borealis - and records bird and plant specimens previously unknown in Europe. His interactions with Eskimaux, in particular, are extensively documented.The fine frontispiece plates, engraved by Edward Finden, show the Hecla and Griper in various remote and unforgiving landscapes, Eskimaux children dancing, and a portrait of Parry in uniform.