The First Crossing of Spitsbergen

London: J. M. Dent & Co, 1897. First Edition. Hardcover. Good+. 371 p. 25 cm. 2 maps, 8 colour plates, 99 b&w illustrations. Quarter beige cloth with brown cloth. Rebacked with original spine reapplied. Top edge gilt. Two minor stains to top of front cover, corners worn. Some light foxing.

Contributions by J.W. Gregory, A. Trevor-Battye and E. J. Garwood. Title continues: "Being an Account of an Island Journey of Exploration and Survey, with Description of Several Mountain Ascents, of Boat Expeditions in Ice Fjord, of a Voyage to North-east-Land, the Seven Islands, down Hinloopen Strait, nearly to Wiches Land, and into most of the Fjords of Spitsbergen, and of an almost complete circumnavigation of the main Island." The author spent the summers of 1896 and 1897 exploring the interior of West Spitsbergen. This volume is an account of the first season's voyage to the island and the trips there during which Conway, Gregory, Trevor-Battye, Garwood and H. E. Conway crossed overland from Advent Bay to Bell Sound, northward to Sassen Bay, and from there to Agardh Bay on the east coast and returned to Advent Bay. They made in all 13 mountain ascents, produced a survey sketch of about 600 square miles of central West Spitsbergen, almost completed a circumnavigation of the main island, and made valuable geologic natural history collections. Appendix. Index. Arctic Bibliography 3378.