PIKE, Zebulon Montgomery (1779-1813).
An account of expeditions to the Sources of the Mississippi, and through the western parts of Louisiana, to the sources of the Arkansaw, Kans, La Platte, and Pierre Juan, Rivers; performed by order of the Government of the United States during the years 1805, 1806, and 1807. And a tour through the Interior parts of New Spain, when conducted through these provinces, by order of The Captain-General, in the year 1807.
Philadelphia: printed by John Binns for C. & A. Conrad & Co.; Somervell & Conrad; Bonsal, Conrad, & Co; and Fielding Lucas, Jr.; 1810.

First edition. Octavo in 4s (8 1/4" x 5 3/16", 210mm x 131mm). [Full collation available.] With 6 leaves of letterpress tables printed on 11 pages, 3 folding tables, 1 engraved map, and 5 folding engraved maps. Bound in contemporary calf. On the spine, 5 raised bands flanked by gilt fillets. Author and title gilt to red morocco in the second panel. All edges of text block speckled blue. Hinges rubbed. Upper fore-corner of the front board worn. Head piece cracked. Generally scuffed. Mild foxing throughout text, a few preserved deckles. Offsetting of engravings. Old tape repair to the verso of one of the folding maps (the first part of Captn Pike's chart of the Internal Part of Louisiana). XIXc ownership inscriptions to the title-page, dated Baltimore 1821.

In 1805, then-Lieutenant Zebulon Pike (1779-1813) was chosen by the Jefferson administration to trace the origins of the Mississippi River in the newly acquired Louisiana territory. This expedition was conducted in conjunction with the famous Lewis and Clark expedition, which traced the origins of the Missouri river. Soon after, Pike was instructed to explore the Arkansas and Red Rivers and, missing the latter entirely, wound up in Spanish territory. The Spanish authorities arrested him and confiscated his maps and papers, but his journals remained hidden within the barrels of the guns of his men. The publication of this book in 1810 allowed the American people to gain access to a wealth of knowledge about the newly explored West, from accounts of flora and fauna to weather conditions. The scope of Pike's investigation was vast and yet precise. His account remained easy to read due to its diaristic structure. It was so popular that it was soon translated into Dutch, French, and German so that it could be circulated within Europe. It in turn fueled westward expansion in the XIXc and is the spiritual sister to the Lewis and Clark accounts. The name "Benj. F. Robertson" and "Baltimore 1821" are written on the title page in a similar hand, the former cancelled. Written above is "Edw. P. Littlefield" in a different hand, also cancelled.

Graff 3290; Howes P 373; Sabin 62836; Streeter Sale 3125; Wagner-Camp 9:1; Wheat, Transmississippi West 297-299.