Ely, Edward. Anthony and Allison Sirna (Eds.). The Wanderings of Edward Ely: A mid-19th Century Sea-Farer's Diary. New York: Hastings House Publishers, 1954.

First Edition; 217 pp; 8-1/2 by 5-3/4 inches. Sage cloth with red titles on spine. Unclipped dust jacket designed by Tom O'Sullivan in removable archival sleeve, with chips, abrasions and water marks.

This edited, diary/travel narrative by Edward Ely (1827–1858), presented as a seafarer’s diary focused on voyages in/around the Pacific—cataloged under topics like “Voyages to the Pacific coast” and “Pacific Ocean.”

Please see the pictures for detail.

Edward Ely was an American Quaker who trained and worked as a medical doctor in Pennsylvania. Born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, he studied medicine with his uncle Dr. Ralph Lee, and then—in 1850, worried about his health—left medical practice to travel widely. His diary covers journeys that included Gold Rush–era California, the South Pacific, and onward to India; a postscript reports he died of dysentery in Bombay (Mumbai) in 1858.