1853 Exploration of Amazon Valley Brazil Navy Voyages Illustrated Herndon Gibbon

Commander William Lewis Herndon was one of the US Navy's outstanding explorers and seamen. In 1851 the secretary of the Navy appointed Herndon to lead the first American expedition into the Amazon Valley. Herndon departed Lima, Peru, on May 20, 1851, and arrived at Para, Brazil, nearly a year later, traveling 4,000 miles by foot, mule, canoe, and small boat. He cataloged the scientific and commercial observations requested by Congress, but he filed his report as a narrative, creating an intimate portrait of an exotic land before the outside world rushed in.

Herndon's report so far surpassed his superiors' expectations that instead of printing the obligatory few hundred copies for Congress, the secretary of the Navy ordered 10,000 copies in the first print run; three months later, he ordered 20,000 more. Herndon described his adventures with such insight, such compassion and wit, and such literary grace that he came to symbolize the new spirit of exploration and discovery sweeping mid-nineteenth-century America.

This 1853 printing contains illustrated plates and maps and is bound in the original cloth binding with “U S” Stamped in. This single volume, originally part of a 2-volume set, is still highly important and desirable!

Item number: #2355

Price: $499

HERNDON, William Lewis

Exploration of valley of Amazon under the direction of the Navy Department, made by W.M. Lewis Herndon and Lardner Gibbon, Lieutenants United States Navy. Part 1 by Lieutenant Herndon.

Washington : Robert Armstrong, Public Printer. 1853

Details:

•Collation: Complete with all pages; Volume 1 (of 2)

o414, [2], [iv]o16 plates throughout

•Language: English

•Binding: Hardcover; tight & secure

•Size: ~9in X 6in (23cm x 15cm)

Our Guarantee:

Very Fast. Very Safe. Free Shipping Worldwide.Customer satisfaction is our priority! Notify us with 7 days of receiving, and we will offer a full refund without reservation!2355

Excellent