‎Ribbe Claude‎
‎L'Expédition‎

‎Instructions for the Expedition Toward the North Pole from Hon. Geo. M. Robeson, Secretary of the Navy. With an Appendix from the National Academy of Sciences. - [THE POLARIS EXPEDITION - WITH DEDICATION FROM COMMANDER C. F. HALL, GIVEN DURING THE EXPEDITION]‎

‎Washington, Government Printing Office, 1871. 8vo. In contemporary half cloth with the original front wrapper pasted on to front board. With dedication inscription from C. F. Hall to front board: ""To M. Schonheyder / Govenor of Fiskeneest / July : 27:1871 / C. F. Hall / Commander"", and with Hall signature to title-page: ""C. F. Hall / Commander"". Two stamps to front board and one stamp to title-page. Three holes in inner marigin, presumably from the original sown wrappers. Title-page with a 5 cm long tear to inner margin. 36 pp.‎

‎First edition, presentation copy from C. F. Hall to Guvernor Schønheyder, given during the Polaris Expedition, of the instruction to Charles Francis Hall to command an expedition to the North Pole on the USS Polaris. The present copy was aboard the USS Polaris and was given on July 27th 1871, when the USS Polaris arrived at Fiskenæsset in South East Greenland. The Polaris Expedition, which constitutes one of the first serious American attempts to reach the North Pole, ended in failure with the death, very possibly murder, of Hall. 19 members of the expedition became separated from the ship and drifted on an ice floe for six months and 1,800 miles (2,900 km), before being rescued. The damaged Polaris was run aground and wrecked near Etah in October 1872. The remaining men were able to survive the winter and were rescued the following summer. All crewmembers, except C. F. Hall, survived. The Chief Scientist on the expedition Emil Bessel, presumably the person who poisoned Hall, noted when arriving at Fiskenæsset: ""A boat rowed toward us from the headland, and a few moments later the colony's administrator [Schønheyder] stood on deck, en route to the saloon. After we had exchanged the usual civilities [Where the present copy very well can have been presented as a gift], Hall and I accompanied the obliging official ashore and to his home. Although he was badly asthmatic, the Greenland climate seemed to suit him" when he lay stretched out he was of impressive height and hence very good-natured. But he had not been very fortunate in the choice of his name, which did not match his appearance at all well. Herr Schönheyter did not have a loving wife to sweeten his life, but mindful of the well-devised saying, he was not ill-disposed toward the other accessories. Draped in a blue ribbon, a guitar hung on the wall" on a small side-table stood various bottles filled with strong liquor."" (POLARIS: The Chief Scientist's Recollections of the American North Pole Expedition, 1871-73 by Emil Bessels, p. 56)Charles Francis Hall, who had previously lived among the Inuit in the Arctic region while on his obsessive quest to determine the fate of Franklin's lost expedition of 1845, was appointed Commander of the Expedition. Hall, who had the necessary survival skills lacked academic background and had no experience in leading men or commanding a ship. The Polaris Expedition consisting of 25 men also included Hall's old friend Budington as sailing master, George Tyson as navigator, and Emil Bessels as physician and chief of scientific staff. The expedition immediately ran into problems as the party split into rival factions. Hall's authority over the expedition was resented by a large portion of the party, and discipline broke down.Hall, having left the USS Polaris on October 10 and returned on October 24, suddenly fell ill after drinking a cup of coffee. His symptoms allegedly started with an upset stomach, then progressed to vomiting and delirium the following day. Hall accused several of the ship's company, including Bessels, of having poisoned him. Following these accusations, he refused medical treatment from Bessels, and drank only liquids delivered directly by his friend Taqulittuq.He seemed to improve for a few days and was even able to go up on deck. Bessels had prevailed upon Bryan, the ship's chaplain, to convince Hall to allow the doctor to see him. By November 4, Hall relented and Bessels resumed treatment. Shortly thereafter, Hall's condition began to deteriorate"" he suffered vomiting and delirium and collapsed. Bessels diagnosed apoplexy before Hall finally died on November 8. He was taken ashore and given a formal burial. In 1968, while working on Hall's biography, ""Weird and Tragic Shores"", Chauncey C. Loomis became sufficiently intrigued by the possibility that Hall might have been poisoned and applied for a permit to visit Thank God Harbor to exhume Hall's body and to perform an autopsy. Because of the permafrost, Hall's body, flag shroud, clothing, and coffin were remarkably well-preserved. Tests on tissue samples of bone, fingernails, and hair showed that Hall had received large doses of arsenic in the last two weeks of his life. Sabin 72024‎

‎Fragen an eine Gesellschaft Gelehrter Männer, die auf Befehl Ihro Majestät des Königes von Dännemark nach Arabien reisen. - [THE HANDBOOK OF NIEBUHR'S ARABIA-EXPEDITION]‎

‎Frankfurt am Mayn, Garbe, 1762. 8vo. Very nice contemporary full mottled calf with five raised bands to richly gilt spine. Titlelabel with gilt lettering. A bit of wear to spine, causing slight loss of leather and a neat restoration to lower compartment. A paperlabel pasted on top of spine. Small loss of leather to back board. A stamp on title-page (Holstein=Holsteinborg). (70), 397 pp., 4 folded tables, paginated 391-97. Internally clean, some quires printed on thick paper.‎

‎The rare first edition of the founding work of Niebuhr's Arabia-expedition, which would gain world-wide fame and establish the scientific description of the Arabian peninsula. The present work consists in 100 questions, the answers to which constitute the purpose of the Royal Danish Arabia Expedition. In fact, the present work is the handbook of Niebuhr's travel to Arabia Felix, as its author is the spiritual father of it. The work is extraordinary in many ways, and it not only served as the basis for the Arabia-expedition, it also constitutes a forerunner of modern bible science that would begin to emerge a few decades later. Johann Davis Michaelis (1717-19) was a theologian and orientalist, whose fame today rests upon the present work and upon the fact that he was responsible for the first scientific expedition to Arabia Felix, namely that of Niebuhr. In 1753, he had come up with the idea for the the Royal Danish Arabia Expedition (1761-1767) and had gotten the Danish minister Bernstoff to agree to it. In 1760, when the expedition was becoming a reality, Michaelis recommended Niebuhr as a participant, and he outlined the entire purpose of the trip - namaly the list of 100 questions that he prepared and published for the members of the expedition, in order for them to answer in the course of the voyage. For all intents and purposes, Michaelis was the spiritual father of the Arabia-expedition. As a theologian and an orientalist, many of Michaelis' questions have root in the Bible. But unlike many other theolgians of the time, Michaelis sought to shed light over biblical themes through sources outside of the Bible - especially from the Middle East, not least Arabia. In this regard, his 100 Questions also came to be a precursor to the emergence of modern bible science.Although the expedition would have never taken place had it not been for Michaelis and his 100 questions - many of which are also purely naturalistic - he could not quite have foreseen the scientific outcome of the expedition. He had not foreseen that Niebuhr would become the founder of the scientific description of the Arabian peninsula and that Niebuhr's notes would become the basis for the first decipherment of Mesopotamian and Persian cuneiform. On the contrary, he was probably quite disappointed that his questions were not all answered as thoroughly as the had anticipated. Adding to that, Niebuhr's answer to the questions ""only"" takes up six pages in the preface to ""Description of Arabia"", although the text itself contains many detailed explanations and answers to Michaelis' questions.‎

‎The Geographical Work of the Greely Expedition [Greely] (+) The Configuration of Grinnell Land and Ellesmere Land [Boas] (+) [Large folded map:] North America polar regions : Baffin Bay to Lincoln Sea, showing the most recent discoveries including tho... - [FIRST ACCOUNT OF THE LADY FRANKLIN BAY EXPEDITION]‎

‎(New York, 1885). 4to. In later half cloth with gilt lettering and stamp to front board. In ""Science"", Vol. 5, No. 108, Feb. 27. Paper label pasted on to front board. The two titles underlined in blue pencil. Stamp to verso of map and almost parted in two, long tear in foldings, otherwise internally fine and clean. Pp. iii-iv, 163-185 + large folded map: ""North America polar regions : Baffin Bay to Lincoln Sea, showing the most recent discoveries including those of U.S.S. Polaris Expedition in 1871-2, under Captain C.F. Hall, British Arctic Expedition in 1875-6, under Captain G.S. Nares, R.N., The Lady Franklin Bay Expedition in 1881-4, under Lieutenant A.W. Greely, U.S.A""‎

‎First edition of Lieutenant A. W. Greely's first short account of the fatal Lady Franklin Bay Expedition (Also known as the Greely expedition). The present account is presented as a commentary to the accompanying map. A more extensive account was published in 1886 (Three Years of Arctic Service) and the full official account was published in 1888 (Report on the Proceedings of the United States Expedition to Lady Franklin Bay, Grinnell Land)The Lady Franklin Bay Expedition of 1881-1884 to Lady Franklin Bay in the Canadian Arctic was led by Lieutenant Adolphus Greely and its purpose was to establish a meteorological-observation station as part of the First International Polar Year, and to collect astronomical and magnetic data. During the expedition, two members of the crew reached a new Farthest North record, but of the original 25 men, only seven survived to return.""The United States expedition during the First International Polar Year, based at Fort Conger, Lady Franklin Bay, about 81°45' N, on the east coast of Ellesmere Island, explored the north coast of Greenland from Cape Bryant to Cape Washington, about 82°30'-83°30"" N, the interior and west coast of Grinnell Land (northern Ellesmere Island), and extended the maping of Hayes Sound, about 79° N, on Ellesmere. As relief ships failed to reach them, members of the party made a march out of the Hall Basin area, all but seven dying of starvation before rescue at Cape Sabine, Smith Sound"" (Arctic Bibliography).‎

‎Pamir Expedition. Proceedings of the expedition Issue 11 (12) Pamir Expedition 1‎

‎"Pamir Expedition. Proceedings of the expedition Issue 11 (12) Pamir Expedition 1930; Academy of Sciences of the USSR. Council for the Study of Productive Strengths - Leningrad: Academy of Sciences of the USSR 1932. -66s 5 t.; fig. 25 cm./Pamirskaya ekspeditsiya. Trudy ekspeditsii vypusk 11(12) Pamirskaya ekspeditsiya 1930 g.; Akademiya nauk SSSR. Sovet po izucheniyu proizvoditel'nykh sil.-Leningrad: Akademiya nauk SSSR 1932. -66s 5 t.; ill. 25 sm./Short description: Pamir Expedition. Proceedings of the expedition Issue 11 (12) Pamir Expedition 1930; Academy of Sciences of the USSR. Council for the Study of Productive Strengths - Leningrad: Academy of Sciences of the USSR 1932. -66s 5 t.; fig. 25 cm. We have thousands of titles and often several copies of each title may be available. Please feel free to contact us for a detailed description of the copies available. SKUbd-652ef61502071324"‎

‎Pamir Expedition. Works of the expedition. Pamir Expedition 1930. 1 (11). Academ‎

‎Pamir Expedition. Works of the expedition. Pamir Expedition 1930. 1 (11). Academy of Sciences of the USSR. Council for the Study of Productive Strengths - Leningrad: Academy of Sciences of the USSR 1932. Thermes and gases-1932.-74s./Pamirskaya ekspeditsiya. Trudy ekspeditsii. Pamirskaya ekspeditsiya 1930 g. 1(11). Akademiya nauk SSSR. Sovet po izucheniyu proizvoditel'nykh sil.-Leningrad: Akademiya nauk SSSR 1932. Termy i gazy-1932.-74s./Short description: Pamir Expedition. Works of the expedition. Pamir Expedition 1930. 1 (11). Academy of Sciences of the USSR. Council for the Study of Productive Strengths - Leningrad: Academy of Sciences of the USSR 1932. Thermes and gases-1932.-74s. We have thousands of titles and often several copies of each title may be available. Please feel free to contact us for a detailed description of the copies available. SKUbd-f0e21eba8c175fcf‎