Alaska Missions North Pacific Coast Sheldon Jackson 1880 1st Printing Fold Map

ALASKA, AND MISSIONS ON THE NORTH PACIFIC COAST Rev. Sheldon Jackson, D.D. | Dodd, Mead & Company, New York, 1880 True First Printing — Fold-Out Coast Survey Map Present — Frothingham Library Provenance ABOUT THIS COPY This is a confirmed true first printing of Sheldon Jackson’s landmark 1880 work on Alaska, published by Dodd, Mead & Company, New York. The first printing is identified by its 327-page pagination — the later 1884 printing ran to 400 pages. Copyright page reads: “Copyright, 1880, By Dodd, Mead & Company.” Most importantly, this copy retains its original fold-out map: “Alaska and Adjoining Region — From the Charts of the U.S. Coast Survey — 1879.” The map is a large, double-panel fold-out in excellent condition — clean, bright, with strong color on the Bering Sea and Polar Sea regions, and no tears or significant staining. This map is the single most important element of a complete copy of this book and is frequently missing from copies that come to market. The frontispiece engraved portrait of Rev. Sheldon Jackson, D.D., is present with its original tissue guard. Wood engravings are present throughout the text, including depictions of Alaska Native peoples, their customs, and missionary activities. This copy was acquired directly from the personal library of Robert Frothingham (1865–1937) at his family home on Sacandaga Lake, New York. The preface page bears Frothingham’s initials in his hand. WHO WAS ROBERT FROTHINGHAM? Robert Frothingham (1865–1937) was a prominent New York literary figure, anthologist, and outdoors writer. He compiled the celebrated “Songs of” anthology series for Houghton Mifflin, including Songs of Men (1918), Songs of Dogs (1920), Songs of Horses (1920), and Songs of the Sea and Sailors’ Chanteys (1924). He was personally connected to writers including Christopher Morley and Joseph Conrad. His signature is preserved in the permanent collection of the Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas at Austin, as part of the Greenwich Village Bookshop Door archive. Frothingham maintained a personal library at his home on Sacandaga Lake, New York, from which this book comes directly. ABOUT THE BOOK Sheldon Jackson (1834–1909) was one of the most consequential figures in the history of Alaska. A Presbyterian minister and missionary, he was appointed the first General Agent of Education in Alaska by the U.S. government in 1885 and served until 1906. He founded schools, missions, and churches throughout the territory, introduced domesticated reindeer from Siberia to combat famine among Alaska Native peoples, and built the Sheldon Jackson Museum in Sitka — the oldest museum in Alaska, still operating today. Alaska, and Missions on the North Pacific Coast was his first major book, written while the territory was still largely unknown to most Americans. It blends firsthand observation of Alaska’s geography and natural resources with detailed accounts of Alaska Native cultures, customs, and religious practices, and the early history of Christian missionary work in the region. It remains a primary historical source for 19th-century Alaska. The book was published just thirteen years after the United States purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867 — at a time when most Americans had never heard of the place. Jackson was one of the first Americans to document the territory in depth for a general audience. PHYSICAL CONDITION Binding: Original terra cotta/rust-red pictorial cloth with black and gilt illustrations of a totem pole, dogsled, and kayak on front board and spine. Honest wear to corners and spine ends consistent with age (146 years old). Cloth shows some rubbing and fading. Spine: Gilt lettering “Alaska / Sheldon Jackson / Dodd Mead & Co.” readable; some fading to gilt. Front board: Pictorial decorations (totem pole, kayak, dogsled) visible and legible. Frontispiece: Engraved portrait of Rev. Sheldon Jackson, D.D., present with tissue guard. Fold-Out Map: “.…