Descrizione

First Edition, later issue. With 64 illustrations on full-page plates, all from photographs, and with 3 maps. Complete as called for, cartographic endleaves showing the polar regions. Royal 8vo, publisher's original green cloth lettered in dark blue on the spine and upper cover. IN THE RARE ORIGINAL DUSTJACKET of green paper lettered dark blue. xx, 388 pp. An unusually handsome and pleasing copy of this scarce title, rarely, if ever seen in the dustjacket, the green cloth unusually fresh and bright due to the jacket's decades of protection, only the slightest bit of rubbing at the tips, and this only from shelving, the hinges fine, the text-block especially clean and fresh. The very rarely encountered jacket with some mellowing as would be expected, but still whole and complete with just a bit of rubbing to the extremities.

Edizione: scarce first english edition of rasmussen’s highly important work, this copy in the very rarely encountered dustjacket. unaccountably, editions in english by this important explorer have become very elusive in the marketplace. rasmussen’s writing, originally published in danish, is of truly great value.<br> this is the rare narrative of rasmussen's fifth thule expedition. rasmussen was born in greenland, lived there as a boy, had a fine command of the eskimo language and consequently was the first anthropologist/explorer to seriously and successfully study the eskimo people. part of his success was due to the fact that he was one of the first explorers to equip and conduct his expedition entirely in eskimo fashion and maintain it by eskimo hunting, giving him the ability to cover large areas with minimal equipment.<br> "it is early morning on the summit of east cape, the steep headland that forms the eastern extremity of siberia. the first snow has already settled on the heights, giving one's thoughts the first cool touch of autumn. the air is keen and clear; not a breeze ruffles the waters of bering strait, where the pack ice glides slowly northward with the current.<br> the landscape has a calm grandeur all tits own; far away in the sun-haze of the horizon rises great diomede island, her forming the boundary between america and asia. from where i stand, i look from one continent to another; for beyond great diomede lies, like a bank of blue fog, another island, the little diomede, which belongs to alaska.<br> all before me lies bathed in the strong light of sun and sea, forming a dazzling contrast to the land behind me.unbroken by any range of hills, extends through a world of rivers and lakes.to the lena delta, and, farther, farther on, beyond cape chelyushkin , to regions that lie not far from my own land."<br> rasmussen could write beautifully and elegantly. his scientific and exploratory work was brilliant and is still appreciated for its importance and authenticity.