- 872
Meares, John
Estimate
30,000 - 50,000 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- Voyages made in the years 1788 and 1789, from China to the north west coast of America. To which are prefixed, an introductory narrative of a voyage performed in 1786, from Bengal, in the ship Nootka; observations on the probable existence of a North West Passage; and some account of the trade between the north west coast of America and China; and the latter country and Great Britain. London: Printed at the Logographic Press, 1790, FIRST EDITION, viii, [xii], xcvi, 372, cviii pp., stipple engraved portrait of Meares by C. Bestland after W. Beechey, 10 engraved maps and charts (3 folding), 17 plates (most sepia aquatints, some double-page or folding), list of subscribers (after the preface), some offsetting of plates and maps, [Abbey, Travel 594; Hill (2004) p.195; Lada-Mocarski 46; Sabin 47260; Streeter VI 3491; Wagner, Northwest Coast, 758-766]
- paper
DIXON, GEORGE. Remarks on the voyages of John Meares, Esq. in a letter to that gentleman. London: Printed for the author and sold by John Stockdale, 1790, FIRST EDITION, 37, [38-42] pp., half-title, [Sabin 20361]
MEARES, JOHN. An answer to Mr George Dixon, late commander of the Queen Charlotte, in the service of Messrs. Etches and Company... in which the remarks of Mr Dixon on the voyages to the north west coast of America, &c. lately published, are fully considered and refuted. London: Printed at the Logographic Press, and sold by J. Walter, 1791, FIRST EDITION, 32pp., half-title, [Sabin 47257]
DIXON, GEORGE. Further remarks on the voyages of John Meares, Esq. in which several important facts, misrepresented in the said Voyages, relative to geography and commerce, are fully substantiated. To which is added, a letter from Captain Duncan, containing a decisive refutation of several unfounded assertions of Mr Meares and a final reply to his answers. London: Printed for John Stockdale and George Golding, 1791, FIRST EDITION, 80pp., [Sabin 20363]
together 4 works in one volume, 4to (290 x 225mm.), contemporary tree calf, expertly rebacked with a flat spine richly gilt, red morocco label, marbled endpapers, yellow edges, some light scattered spotting, offsetting and browning
MEARES, JOHN. An answer to Mr George Dixon, late commander of the Queen Charlotte, in the service of Messrs. Etches and Company... in which the remarks of Mr Dixon on the voyages to the north west coast of America, &c. lately published, are fully considered and refuted. London: Printed at the Logographic Press, and sold by J. Walter, 1791, FIRST EDITION, 32pp., half-title, [Sabin 47257]
DIXON, GEORGE. Further remarks on the voyages of John Meares, Esq. in which several important facts, misrepresented in the said Voyages, relative to geography and commerce, are fully substantiated. To which is added, a letter from Captain Duncan, containing a decisive refutation of several unfounded assertions of Mr Meares and a final reply to his answers. London: Printed for John Stockdale and George Golding, 1791, FIRST EDITION, 80pp., [Sabin 20363]
together 4 works in one volume, 4to (290 x 225mm.), contemporary tree calf, expertly rebacked with a flat spine richly gilt, red morocco label, marbled endpapers, yellow edges, some light scattered spotting, offsetting and browning
Provenance
Lord Grantham, armorial bookplate
Literature
Howay, F.W. The Dixon-Meares Controversy. Toronto, 1929; Lada-Mocarski 46 (for first work only)
Condition
Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
IT IS VERY RARE TO FIND DIXON'S REMARKS AND FURTHER REMARKS, WITH MEARES'S ANSWER AND MEARES'S VOYAGES ALL BOUND TOGETHER IN A SINGLE VOLUME AND IN A FINE CONTEMPORARY BINDING. THE THREE PAMPHLETS ARE "NOW AMONG THE RAREST IN NORTH-WEST AMERICANA" (Howay). The only other copy we can trace at auction bound in this way was the Earl of Granard's copy (sold twice in these rooms: 21 July 1993, lot 452; 7 May 2009, lot 244).
John Meares (c.1756-1809) formed a company at Calcutta in the 1780s for opening and exploiting trade with the American Northwest. The first voyage described is that of the Nootka (1786-87) which overwintered disastrously at Prince William Sound, and was only saved by the arrival of Dixon and Portlock. The voyage of 1788-89 was marked by the seizure of the vessels Iphigenia, Argonaut, and the Princess Royal by a Spanish frigate in Nootka Sound in 1789 which nearly led to a war between Britain and Spain (see lots 948-952). Both voyages are very important in the history of discovery in the American Northwest and Alaska. Both Dixon and Portlock published their own accounts of the events described (see Exploration and Discovery, part 2, lot 398 and current sale, lot 1034).