Nares, George | The failed British Arctic Expedition of 1875–1876

Nares, George

The Official Report of the Recent Arctic Expedition. London: John Murray, 1876

8vo (209 x 138 mm). Frontispiece map. Original printed wrappers; some creasing. [With:] Johnston, Robert. The Arctic Expedition of 1875-6, compiled from Official Sources, with a Summary of Previous Adventures in the Arctic Sea. London: Frederick Warne & Co., 1877. 8vo. Folding lithographic map frontispiece, 2 wood-engraved plates, 4 pp. publisher's catalogue to rear; closed edge tear to map. Original illustrated card covers. Cloth box.

First editions of these accounts of the failed British Arctic Expedition of 1875–1876.

Sent by the British Admiralty to attempt to reach the North Pole via Smith Sound. The expedition explored the coasts of Greenland and Ellesmere Island, despite failing to reach the North Pole. "The failure of the Nares expedition effectively ended British polar exploration for the next 25 years" (Stam and Stam, Books on Ice).