GOOD CONDITION. Heavily illustrated ("upwards of 300 illustrations") with both plates and text illustrations. Top and bottom of spine both chipped and worn, but spine and pages are intact. Pages are crisp, light foxing throughout. A map is present but was torn & misfolded at some point. 1856. First edition.
The desire to find and confirm the existence of the Northwest Passage was at the heart of much of the 19th century exploration, especially by that of the Royal Navy. One of the most famous disasters was Sir John Franklin's lost Arctic expedition, on the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, which had become frozen in the ice, and plagued by rotten food supplies. And worse.
(A fictionalized account came to life in the tv series THE TERROR and the Dan Simmons novel of the same name.)
Many attempts were made to find Sir John Franklin's expedition, by both the British and the Americans. This is the harrowing but fascinating account of one American's attempts, from 1853 - 1855.
And like Sir John Franklin... this ship also became frozen in the Arctic ice, leaving its crew to survive... on foot.
