Bidspirit auction | Kane's Arctic Explorations - Two

Kane's Arctic Explorations - Two Volumes with 2 Maps & 20 Engravings - This two volume work is Elisha Kent Kane's Arctic Explorations: The Second Grinnell Expedition In Search of Sir John Franklin, 1853, '54, '55. The work was published in Philadelphia in 1856 by Childs & Peterson. The work features 2 folding maps, 20 engraved plates, and numerous in-text wood engraved illustrations. It is bound in half calf over marbled boards, five compartments, elaborate gilt decoration, gilt title on leather labels, and marbled edges. The volumes detail the search for the remains of Sir John Franklin's polar expedition. Henry Grinnell financed the expedition trying to discover the fate of Franklin's voyage. Kane led the exploration that went through areas northwest of Greenland, that are now called Grinnell Land. It did not discover Franklin's fate but set the record for northward voyage and delineated 960 miles of unexplored coastline and the open Polar Sea. Kane collected valuable geographical, climate, and magnetic observations. Dr. Elisha Kent Kane (1820-1857) was a Navy Medical Officer and polar explorer. He participated and the first and led the second Grinnell Arctic Expeditions. He is known as America's first arctic hero. Paper Size: ~ 8 3/4” by 5 3/8”