London: Printed for the Author; And Sold by J. Walter, and S. Crowder, 1778. First edition. 8vo. (xx), xvi, (17)-543, (1) pp. Illustrated with an engraved folding frontispiece map of North America with hand-colored outlining, an engraved folding map with hand-colored outlining, and four engraved plates. Three-quarter brown morocco over marbled paper-covered boards, decorated in blind and in gilt, front board detached, joints and extremities rubbed; morocco lightly and unevenly faded; top edge gilt, other edges trimmed; matching marbled endpaper; by William Smith, New York; printed slip tipped in at front blank; offsetting in frontispiece and to upper portion of title-page, faint renmants of contemporary ownership signature at top of same; light intermittent spotting to text. From the family library of Americana and autograph collectors Amor and Zachary T. Hollingsworth. Howes C-215; Sabin 11184; Vail 654; Pilling, Algonquian p. 68; Graff 622; Reese, The Struggle for North America 88 (third edition); ESTC T133718

First edition of Jonathan Carver's classic account of his travels through western North America, "the first major narrative by an American describing travel westward from the Mississippi. (Reese) "Carver penetrated farther into the West than any other English explorer before the Revolution. Like his French predecessor--Verendrye--he was seeking a transcontinental waterway, but, aside from exploring some tributaries of the Mississippi, he made no substantial contributions to geographical knowledge; his book, however, stimulated curiosity concerning routes to the Pacific, later satisfied by Mackenzie and Lewis and Clark." (Howes) Carver's account became immensely popular, and went through numerous editions, and was the most commonly available book describing the West at the end of the 18th century.