A Voyage Round the World; but more particularly to the north-west coast of America: performed in 1785, 1786, 1787, and 1788, in the King George and Queen Charlotte, Captains Portlock and Dixon.

Dedicated, by permission, to Sir Joseph Banks, Bart., by Captain George Dixon. London : Published by Geo. Goulding, 1789. Second edition. Quarto, full diced russia, ruled in gilt, masterfully rebacked, spine in compartments with raised bands, elaborate gilt ornamentation and contrasting morocco title label lettered in gilt, gilt dentelles; marbled edges and endpapers; presentation inscription for the Pacific Union Club Library to preliminary blank, dated 1922; half-title, pp. xxix; [iii]; 360; 47 (appendix), twenty-two engraved plates (some folding); a fine copy.

“Excellent authority for the early days of fur trading on the northwest coast” (Streeter).

A Voyage Round the World is written in the form of an epistolary narrative, being a series of forty-nine letters signed “W.B.” – William Beresford, super-cargo aboard the Queen Charlotte. The text is edited and corrected by Dixon on nautical points. He also added the introduction, the appendix, and the maps.

Both Captain Portlock and Dixon sailed with Captain Cook on his third voyage, and had seen the opportunities for fur trading on the northwest coast. Dixon’s work includes a number of important maps of the coast and many significant discoveries including Queen Charlotte Island, Port Mulgrave, Norfolk Bay, and Dixon Entrance and Archipelago. The second edition contains two additional plates to the first edition, and as well as the letters there are important appendices relating to aspects of natural history and ships’ logs.

Forbes 162; Hill 118;  Lada Mocarski 43; Sabin 64390