London: Richard Bentley, 1849. Hardcover. First edition of this work, which remains one of the few first person accounts of the fur trade in the early 19th century. It is still considered a major source for historians. John McLean (c. 1799–1890) was a Scotsman who emigrated to British North America, where he became a fur-trapper, trader, explorer, grocer, banker, newspaperman, clerk, and author. He traveled by foot and canoe from the Atlantic to the Pacific and back, becoming one of the chief traders of the Hudson's Bay Company. He is also remembered as the first person of European descent to discover Churchill Falls on Canada's Churchill River and sometimes mistakenly credited as the first to cross the Labrador Peninsula [Wikipedia]. Bound in quarter brown leather with black pebbled leather covers. Brown leather is rubbed and chipped, covers have bumped corners. Free front endpapers in both volumes are loose as is the title page in volume II. Some raggedness to the fore edge of a few pages in each volume not affecting text. Bookplate of the Earl of Orrery affixed to front pastedown of each volume. Very good condition. Small octavo. Volume I: 308 pages; Volume II: 328 pages. Very Good.

Item #35015

Price: $700.00