An Account of Expeditions to the Sources of the Mississippi - photo 1
An Account of Expeditions to the Sources of the Mississippi - photo 2
An Account of Expeditions to the Sources of the Mississippi - photo 3

An Account of Expeditions to the Sources of the Mississippi

Sold
$ 10 080
Auction dateClassic
17.01.2024 11:00UTC -04:00
Auctioneer
CHRISTIE'S
Event location
USA, New York
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 1119107
Lot 124 | An Account of Expeditions to the Sources of the Mississippi
An Account of Expeditions to the Sources of the Mississippi

Zebulon Pike, 1810

PIKE, Zebulon Montgomery (1779-1813). An Account of Expeditions to the Sources of the Mississippi, and through the Western Parts of Louisiana to the Sources of the Arkansaw, Kans, La Platte, and Pierre Jaun Rivers; Performed by order of the Government of the United States During the Years 1805, 1806, and 1807. Philadelphia: John Binns for C.&A. Conrad; Petersburgh: Somervell & Conrad; Norfolk: Bonsal, Conrad & Co.; and Baltimore: Fielding Lucas, Jr., 1810.



The first edition of the first government exploration of the Southwest, with the maps and tables bound with the text in a single volume (occasionally issued separately in an Atlas). In 1806 Pike led an expedition to the southwestern borders of the Louisiana Purchase. He had orders to explore the Arkansas and Red Rivers, and to obtain information about nearby Spanish territory. It was on this trip that he tried, unsuccessfully, to climb the mountain peak later named for him. His party headed south from Colorado, ending up in what is now northern New Mexico, where they were stopped by Spanish officials and charged with illegal entry into Spanish-held territory. All of Pike's maps, notes and papers became the property of the Spanish, with the party escorted through Santa Fe, across Texas, and released on the Spanish-American border in Louisiana. Pike's published account of this last expedition, with information about the weakness of Spanish authority in Santa Fe and the profitability of trading with Mexico, stirred businessmen and politicians into expanding to Texas. He also helped establish the myth of the "Great American Desert" which slowed growth into the Great Plains. Field 1217; Graff 3290; Howes P-373 ("b"); Jenkins Basic Texas Books 163; Sabin 62836; Streeter Texas 1047; Wagner-Camp-Becker 9:1; Wheat Mapping the Transmississippi West 297-299.



Octavo (230 x 133 mm). (Foxing and browning, scattered paper repairs, one letter in facsimile on p.151, scattered pencil notes "Copy B.") Frontispiece portrait, three folding tables and six maps, five of which are folding (folding tables worn and backed with tissue, offsetting to maps). Contemporary sheep (rebacked with old spine laid down). Provenance: Charles T. Thomas of "Midland Farm," Alexander, Arkansas (ownership inscription on portrait verso).

Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
20 Rockefeller Plaza
10020 New York
USA
Preview
12.01.2024 10:00 – 17:00
13.01.2024 10:00 – 17:00
14.01.2024 13:00 – 17:00
15.01.2024 13:00 – 17:00
16.01.2024 10:00 – 17:00
Phone +1 212 636 2000
Fax +1 212 636 4930
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase
Shipping Postal service
Courier service
pickup by yourself
Payment methods Wire Transfer
Business hoursBusiness hours
Mo 09:30 – 17:00   
Tu 09:30 – 17:00   
We 09:30 – 17:00   
Th 09:30 – 17:00   
Fr 09:30 – 17:00   
Sa closed
Su closed

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.