(CHINA TRADE AND PACIFIC EXPLORER) EDMUND FANNING
EDMUND FANNING (1769 - 1841) American explorer and sea captain, known as the "Pathfinder of the Pacific." Fanning made a fortune in the China trade, trading seal skins for Chinese silks, spices, and tea. He also discovered three South Pacific Islands — Fanning, Washington, and Palmyra — collectively known as the Fanning Islands. Signed book "The Phenix, a Collection of Old and Rare Fragments, viz.: The Morals of Confucius, the Chinese Philosopher; the Oracles of Zoroaster, the founder of the Religion of the Persian Magi; Sanchoniatho's History of the Creation, the Voyages of Hanno round the Coast of Africa, 500 Hundred Years Before Christ; King Hiempsal's History of the African Settlements, translated from the Punic Books, and the Choice Sayings of Publius Syrus", (no author is listed), (New York: William Gowan), 1835. 296pp. 8vo. blue hard cover with red cloth spine and worn paper label. Signed on front flyleaf in pencil: "E. Fanning's /63 Hudson Street New York", also signed by his only daughter Sarah E. Fanning, 1844. Inside the book, we find a letter dated 1937 to "Gerard" which references the "Fanning books" and wonders why "Grandfather Fanning" had this particular book. Some pages toned, signature a bit light. Rare!