The Journals and Letters of Sir Alexander Mackenzie. Edited by W. Kaye Lamb.

Descripción:

Octavo, blue cloth (hardcover), gilt lettering, 551 pp. Near Fine, with former-owner bookplate; in a Near Fine, mylar protected dust jacket. From dust jacket: Sir Alexander Mackenzie (1764-1820) owes his fame to his two remarkable journeys of exploration across the North American continent. Born on the Isle of Lewis off the west coast of Scotland, Mackenzie emigrated to America with his father and aunts in 1774 and later opted for a career in the fur trade. It seems to have been officially on behalf of the North West Company, though partly on his own initiative as well, that he undertook his first major expedition in 1789. Starting from Fort Chipewyan, a trading post in what is now northern Alberta, Mackenzie hoped to find a route westward to the Pacific. He travelled down the Slave River to Great Slave Lake and discovered the Mackenzie River. Soon realizing that the river was leading him north and not west he nevertheless continued to follow it and reached its mouth in the Arctic Ocean. Mackenzie was already thinking of a second expedition to find a route to the Pacific before he returned from the Mackenzie River, and in 1792 he set out again from Fort Chipewyan. Travelling partly by water and partly overland he evenutally succeeded in reaching the Pacific Ocean in 1793, and became the first white man to cross the full width of the North American continent. Mackenzie's Journals show him as a demanding and highly strung leader who pushed his men to the limits of endurance. Nevertheless it was his achievement to bring both expeditions safely home without loss of life. Mackenzie's Letters, written between 1786 and 1819, are of interest for the additional information they provide about his character and career in the fur trade. Dr. Lamb has provided a full introduction and notes on both the Journals and the Letters. Discovery & Exploration, American History, United States History, U. S. History, Americana, U.S.-iana, Age of Expansion, Western Americana, American West, Canadian History, Canada tslic. N° de ref. del artículo acs1147

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