Voyage of Discovery and Research in the Southern and Antarctic Regions, During the Years 1839-43

By Captain Sir James Clark Ross

John Murray, London, 1847 (January). First Edition, First Printing. 8vo ~ 73⁄4" - 93⁄4" tall. 2 Volume set. Volume I: (lii) + (iv) 366pp, 6 maps (2 folding), 5 plates. (1 folding), folding panorama, 7 vignettes on chapter heading pages. Volume II: (vii—x) + (iv) 448pp, 2 maps (1 folding), 3 plates., 10 vignettes on chapter heading pages, 16 pages of publisher’s advertising at rear and dated January 1847. Old armorial bookplates of Frederick Brodie inside front covers. Original publisher’s finely textured and ruled blue-green cloth, blind-stamped nautical decorations on original spines and rear board, gilt illustrations of a ship amongst icebergs on front cover, spine with professionally closed splits and common light fading. Some plates and maps with typical moderate and intermittent foxing. The advertisement pages in volume 2 are dated January 1847 indicating this set is the Rare First Issue of the First Edition. Collated complete—a Very Good set. Protected in custom green slipcase.

—Spence 993, Ferguson 4636, Abbey 610, Taurus 9, Rosove 276.A1.a

The expedition of the ships Erebus and Terror under the Command of Sir James Clark Ross was without doubt one of the most important voyages in the history of Antarctic exploration. Ross discovered the Ross Sea, Ross Island with the active volcano Mount Erebus, the Ross Ice Shelf, Victoria Land and smaller islands off the Antarctic coast. This highly significant and important early expedition to Antarctica contributed much to the cartographic emergence of the continent. Ross visited many sub-Antarctic islands & charted 900km of Antarctic coast at Victoria Land in his circumnavigation of the continent. Ross was the 1st to penetrate the Ross Sea ice pack, discovering Ross Island and attained by 4 degrees the furthest Southern expedition to date. Ross also accurately determined the position of the South Magnetic Pole — a cornerstone set for collections on exploration of the South Polar Regions.