A voyage round the world; but more particularly to the North-West coast of America: performed in 1785, 1786, 1787, and in 1788, in the King George and Queen Charlotte.

London, John Stockdale & George Goulding, 1789.4to. Contemporary tree-calf (top of spine sl. dam.; hinges restored). With engraved frontispiece portrait of Portlock, 5 handcoloured engravings depicting birds, 6 folding engraved charts and 8 engraved plates. XII,384,XL pp.First edition; copy on large and thick paper; with armorial bookplate of Samuael Beckwith. - Two ships, the King George and Queen Charlotte, under the commands of Portlock and Dixon were sent out by the King George's Sound Company in 1785 for the purpose of pursuing the fur trade in America and China. Both men had accompanied Captain Cook on his last voyage. After visiting the Falkland Islands, the two ships made a long stay at the Hawaiian Islands. Portlock and Dixon separated, with Portlock exploring northward up the Alaskan coast and Dixon proceeding southward to Nootka Sound. Both captains published accounts of the voyage, but Portlock is of greater value for his particularly vivid descriptions of the Native Americans and Russians in the region. They sailed home by way of Macao and St.Helena in 1789. They surveyed the north-west coast of America, which was the most important result of the voyage. This is the principal account of the first commercial voyage to the Northwest Coast and the first English voyage to visit Hawaii after that of Captain James Cook. - Tear in one leaf; dampstain in lower corner of first leaves otherwise fine. - A classic narrative of the early exploration on the Northwest Coast of North America; one of the very few copies of deluxe issues with coloured plates.Sabin 64389; Howes 494; Lada-Mocarski 42; Hill 1376; Forbes 177.