PERDUS DANS L'ARCTIQUE: Récit de l’Expédition de "l’Aalabama", 1909 à 1912
Tours: Maison Alfred Mame et fils, 1913. First Edition. Hardcover. Account of the Danish explorer's expedition to northeast Greenland in 1909-12 to look for maps and diaries left there by Ludwig Mylius-Erichsen in 1907. Mikkelsen (1880-1971) found these, but, when he and his only companion, I.P. Iversen, returned to their base on the coast, they found their ship crushed by ice and no sign of the remaining members of the expedition, who had in fact returned home on a sealing vessel. The two men survived a further two winters in Greenland, suffering great hardships, and were rescued by a Norwegian sealer after nearly all hope for them had been abandoned. Quarto: 389, [1, blank], [1], [1, blank] pp. with a frontispiece, 11 full-page plates, and 62 textual illustrations, all halftones after photographs, as well as the folding map, a steel engraving printed in green and black. In the publisher's red diagonal fine-ribbed cloth binding, with gilt-stamped ruled borders, white, violet, black, and gilt-stamped ruled frame full-cover design of two explorers with sled and dog team, and ornamental band and panel with decorative titling on the front panel; gilt-stamped ruled and floral ornamental head and tail bands, ruled, ornamental, and palm front frame, with titling on the spine; and blind-stamped ruled and ornamental borders with floral ornamental spandrels on the rear panel. All edges gilt, with gray endpapers. Period bookseller's ticket (Orly: Genève) to the half-title. The binding is remarkably fresh and vibrant. Near fine. Provenance: from the Publishers' Bookbindings collection of Ellen K. Morris and Edward S. Levin. Near fine. Item #80196
Price: $400.00