Wonders of the Arctic World: A History of All the Researches and Discoveries in the Frozen Regions of the North From the Earliest Times together with a complete and reliable history of The Polaris Expedition

Philadelphia: John E. Potter & Company, 1888. Hardcover. Good +. Hardcover. Epes Sargent was from an old-line family in Gloucester, Massachusetts that had a seafaring history. William Cunnington, according to the title page, was a special correspondent of the Philadelphia Age. This book is a history of all of the Arctic explorations from the Norsemen through the journey of the Polaris is 1871-1873. The history of the book itself is someone mysterious. Some records suggest that it was initially published by an entity called The Philadelphia Book Company in 1873. If so, the section on the Polaris would have been contemporaneous, since the conclusion of the voyage was not until mid-1873. No information is readily available about the existence of or publications from The Philadelphia Book Company. Other records suggest that this title was published by John E. Potter & Company, also in 1873. Potter was well known for reprints, and for subscription-only productions. This copy of the book includes no publication date, but the address given for Potter & Company is one that they apparently occupied only in 1888, hence we estimate the publication of this volume as being 1888. Octavo. Reddish-brown cloth-covered boards with title in black to front cover and in gilt to spine. Edges of covers are slightly bumped and spine is faded. Color has been worn off of top edge of rear cover. Former owner's label on front pastedown and in ink on front free endpaper. Text block is yellowed, but most pages are clean and clear. However, some pages have stains, as does the rear pastedown and free endpaper. Still a good reading copy. 651 pages, plus a several-page advertisement for other publications from Potter. ARCTIC/072525.