[Arctic] Letters from a Globetrotter. Written for Members of the Round-The-World Society

[various places], [925]. Near Fine+. Travelogue in the form of subscription letters written by Elmer D. Raymond, founder and president of the Round-the-World Society. Demy 8vo (232 x 160mm): frontispiece of clipper ship from sketch by Raymond and title page in red and black, folding map of the world, two-page forward (printed rectos only), and 53 mimeographed stamped and postmarked letter sheets (each folded twice, creating an address panel and three stenciled pages), addressed to Mrs. David R Doru of Coopers Town, N.Y.; with sixteen black-and-white plates from photographs of various locations Raymond visited ("From the mighty metropolises of European civilization, from the squalid villages of African savagery, from the icy waters of the Arctic, from the barren sands of the deserts"), and an original radiogram announcing Raymond's approach to the North Pole. The first twenty-seven letters are unnumbered, followed by numbers XXVII [sic] through LII. Bound in pebbled black limp leatherette fastened with metal screw posts, front cover blind-stamped with title and elephant device, stiff black end papers. When a letter was received, the subscriber unfolded it and placed it into the post-and-screw two-holed binder. Beautifully preserved, tightly bound and clean throughout. In 1925, Raymond set off for (then) exotic locales and every few days mailed members of the Round-the-World Society a correspondence describing his travels. On July 6, the first letter was sent from New York, and 53 others followed through the end of the year. Raymond crossed the Atlantic to London then flew to Paris, visited Luxembourg and Belgium, and "dashed" to the North Pole (he wrote twelve letters from the Arctic with such titles as: "In the northernmost city in the world," "The land of many surprises," and "Finding the remains of Andree's balloon expedition"), then traveled on to Germany and back to Paris, the French Riviera, and Italy. His first African stop, after a stormy voyage, was in Tunis, where he visited the ruins of Carthage then moved on to Morocco, visiting the Kasbah and hunting with a sheik. The contents of different copies vary, with catalogers reporting as few as 43 letters and as many as 60. The radiogram seems unique to this copy. N. B. With few exceptions (always identified), we only stock books in exceptional condition. All orders are packaged with care and posted promptly. Satisfaction guaranteed. (Fine Editions Ltd is a member of the Independent Online Booksellers Association, and we subscribe to its codes of ethics.).