1796 – Jonathan Carver North America Voyages | Great Lakes Exploration & Indians

Jonathan Carver was an 18th-century colonial American explorer who is best known for his expedition into the Mississippi River valley and the American Great Lakes. He had initially anticipated finding a water route into the Pacific Ocean, but when ultimately did not find what he was looking for he sailed to England where he eventually died.

He did publish a book outlining the events of his journey, first published in 1778. In this book, he describes Native American Indian tribes and customs (notably the Outagamie or Meskwaki people), early descriptions of the sport lacrosse, various rivers and mountains, plants, and detailed notes on American birds and other wildlife!

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Three Years Travels Through the Interior Parts of North-America, for More Than Five Thousand Miles; Containing an Account of the Great Lakes
• Author(s): Jonathan Carver
• Publisher: Philadelphia, Key
• Edition: Early American Edition. 1796.
• Binding: Hardcover
• Format: (8vo), single volume
• Size:  8.25 in x 5.25 in (21 cm x 13.3 cm)
• Collation: xx, ix, 360, 20 pp
• Illustrations:
• Contents Include:
  • Accounts of Native American customs and practices
  • Travel across the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Valley
  • Early reference to lacrosse
  • Regional notes on flora, birds, and mountains
• Reference(s): Howes C 215; Graff 622

Condition:

Very Good. Binding is tight and intact. Boards show light wear along corners and edges. Pages display uniform age-toning with occasional foxing. No text loss. Interior complete.

Why Collect This?

• Rare 18th-century American exploration work
• Among earliest records of lacrosse in print

Item Number: #29668