"Vancouver's Voyage: Charting the Northwest Coast" (used book)

Vancouver's Voyage: Charting the Northwest Coast

by Robin Fisher

About the book

Used book. Hardcover. Dust jacket included. Excellent condition.

In the eighteenth century, the Northwest Coast of America was a focus of Europe’s quest for expanded horizons and new commercial opportunities.

To assert its claims to the area, Britain sent a naval expedition under George Vancouver to explore and map the west coast of North America from California to Alaska. This ambitious undertaking lasted from 1791 to 1795, as Vancouver and his men mapped almost 5,000 miles of uncharted coast. During this time, they had surprising and varied encounters with a sophisticated indigenous population, and weathered countless dangers, but did not find the fables Northwest Passage linking the Pacific and Atlantic.

That great adventure comes to life in these pages.

In telling the tale, historian Robin Fisher reveals much of Captain Vancouver’s personality, life aboard his ships, the techniques of mapping, and his views of the native peoples he encountered. Historical engravings and maps, reproduced directly from the first edition of Vancouver’s famous account of his voyage, richly illustrate the land and events. These are enhanced by over 30 stunning colour photographs by Gary Fiegehen, taken specially for this book, that display the breathtaking grandeur of the coastline that Vancouver mapped. The captions for these photographs are brief excerpts from Vancouver’s journals, contrasting his matter-of-fact descriptions with the wild drama of the land he encountered.