The Journals of the Expedition Under the Command of Capts. Lewis and Clark - Limited Editions Club (1962) 2 Volumes in Slipcase [Copy 508]

by Meriwether and Clark William; Nicholas Biddle Lewis (Ed.)

1962 Limited Editions Club (New York), 8 x 11 3/8 inches tall pale green buckram cloth hardcover volumes decorated with period map, gilt-lettered leather spine labels, folding map at rear pastedown, xlv, 232; xviii, 233-547 pp. A near fine set - clean, bright and unmarked - in a very good card slipcase with minimal shelfwear. 

This magnificent two-volume set presents the definitive journals of Meriwether Lewis and George Rogers Clark, documenting their unprecedented transcontinental expedition. Meticulously edited and introduced by John Bakeless, the text captures the historical gravity and ethnographic richness of the original nineteenth-century undertaking. The Limited Editions Club production enhances the narrative with contemporary watercolors and drawings by Carl Bodmer and other period artists, offering vital visual context to the explorers' observations. As copy 508 of 1500, this edition stands as a pinnacle of mid-century fine press craftsmanship, complete with a beautifully reproduced folding map. The volumes hold immense appeal for scholars of Western Americana, historians of the American frontier, and dedicated collectors of premium limited editions. The dual-volume format ensures an immersive, scholarly reading experience that honors the legacy of early American exploration.