THE TRUE TRAVELS, ADVENTURES AND OBSERVATIONS OF CAPTAINE JOHN SMITH

Smith, John. THE TRUE TRAVELS, ADVENTURES AND OBSERVATIONS OF CAPTAINE JOHN SMITH, IN EUROPE, ASIA, AFRICKE, AND AMERICA .... (2 Volumes, Complete). Richmond: Franklin Press; William W. Gray, printer, 1819. Octavo. Vol 1: [14], 247; Vol 2: xii, 282 pp. First American edition. As issued in marbled calf with red morocco title labels on the spines; both frontispieces are present, one is a portrait of Smith, the other his coat of arm; both folding maps as well as the folding plate are present, making this set complete. Expected foxing and toning to the pages, at times heavy; the folding maps and plates are in remarkably nice condition, neatly folded with virtually no edgewear; boards have been discreetly reinforced with Japanese tissue and toned to blend; spine leather is darkened and somewhat desiccated; bottom corner of the front board of Volume 1 is bumped with some loss to the board behind the leather. Neverthelesss, the set presently quite nicely. This is the first edition of Smith's work published in America, taken from the London 1629 edition. A. L. Rowse remarks in an introduction to another edition, “There are few books of the Jacobean age that have left such an impact on history.... Captain John Smith's history of Virginia, with its stories of Pocahontas, has deeply influenced the American conception of the country's earliest days and made an indelible impression upon American folklore and popular belief, not to mention history.” A remarkable set. Sabin 82852; Shaw & Shoemaker 49438.