SAUER, Martin. An Account of a Geographical and Astronomical Expedition to the Northern Parts of Russia, for ascertaining the degrees of latitude and longitude of the mouth of the River Kovima; of the whole coast of the Tshutski, to East Cape; and of the islands in the Eastern Ocean, stretching to the American coast. Performed, by Command of Her Imperial Majesty Catherine the Second, Empress of All the Russias, by Commodore Joseph Billings, in the years 1785, &c. to 1794. London, Printed by A. Strahan … For T. Cadell, Jun., and W. Davies, 1802.
4to. Modern calf-backed marbled boards, red morocco lettering-piece to spine; pp. xxvii, [2, errata], 332, 58 (Appendixes); one large folding map, 14 engraved plates; initially, the map and a few plates carefully cleaned, minimal spotting in places, a very good, entirely uncut and complete copy.
First English edition. Sauer was secretary to the Billings' expedition, in which Sarychev also participated (his separate account was published in Russian in the same year). Billings sailed to the Behring Strait, touching land both on the Chukchi peninsular and in Alaska. Most importantly, the expedition explored the Aleutian islands. The present account, which complements Sarychev's, was compiled by Sauer from official reports.
Chavanne 3988; Lada-Mocarski 58; Ricks' Alaska Bibliography p. 192.
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