PORTLOCK, Nathaniel (c.1748-1817). A Voyage Round the World; but more particularly to the North-West Coast of America, London, 1789, 4to, portrait, folding general chart, 17 plates and charts only (of 18), old boards wrapped in hessian. FIRST EDITION.

PORTLOCK, Nathaniel (c.1748-1817).  A Voyage Round the World; but more particularly to the North-West Coast of America: Performed in 1785, 1786, 1787, and 1788, in the King George and Queen Charlotte, Captains Portlock and Dixon. London: "Printed for John Stockdale ... and George Goulding," 1789. 4to (322 x 245mm). Engraved portrait of the author, large folding engraved "Chart of the North West Coast of America with the Tracks of the King George & Queen Charlotte in 1786 & 1787", 17 engraved plates and folding charts only (of 18, lacking the final plate titled "Head of Tyaana"), 40-page Appendix at the end with tables (the plates offset onto the text, 2 folding charts torn and skilfully repaired with slight loss, some light mainly marginal browning and spotting). Old [?or possibly contemporary] boards wrapped rather unceremoniously in old hessian, stitched, uncut (some staining), modern black morocco-backed box. Provenance: illegible signature on the front pastedown (beneath the hessian wrapper) dated 1833; some old underlining, highlighting and annotation (see especially p.56 and p.180); Biblioteca Agustin Edwards (modern label). FIRST EDITION of this account of the first commercial voyage to the Pacific northwest of America, with colourful descriptions of its indigenous peoples and natural history ("... the sea lions met with at this place are quite furious, and ought not to be attacked without great caution" [p.35]). Five of the plates are of birds. "In May 1785 [Portlock] was appointed by the King George's Sound Company to command the King George, a vessel of 320 tons, and an expedition to the north-west coast of America. She sailed from Gravesend on 29 Aug. 1785, in company with the smaller ship Queen Charlotte, commanded by George Dixon. On 19 July 1786 they arrived at Cook's River, and, after some stay there, ranged along the coast, sighted Mt. St. Elias, and on 29 Sept. sailed for the Sandwich Islands. There they wintered, returning to the American coast in the spring ... [In 1789, Portlock] published 'A Voyage round the World, but more particularly to the North West Coast of America ...' ... Though rich in geographical results, the voyage was primarily intended to open out the fur trade, in which object it was fully successful" (DNB). Brunet III, 820; Forbes 177; Hill 1376: "... vivid descriptions of encounters with the American Indians ..."; Howes P497; Lada-Mocarski 42; Mitchell Library Cook 2453; Sabin 64389; Smith 8299; Streeter Sale 3485; Wagner Cartography of the Northwest Coast of America 738; Wickersham A Bibliography of Alaskan Literature 6574; Zimmer 495.