PATRICK GASS, LEWIS & CLARK JOURNAL, 1807 FIRST EDITION VOYAGES & TRAVELS, CORPS OF DISCOVERY 1804, 1805, 1806 Start Price USD 15,000.00 Current Price USD 15,000.00 Time Left 7 days 9 hours 40 minutes Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Friday, October 17, 2008 End Time Thursday, January 15, 2009 Location Westminster, CA See more about 'PATRICK GASS, LEWIS & CLARK JOURNAL, 1807 FIRST EDITION' Description AUTHOR:                      Sergeant Patrick Gass (1771-1870) TITLE:                          A JOURNAL of the VOYAGES AND TRAVELS of a CORPS OF DISCOVERY, under the Command of Capt. Lewis and Capt. Clarke of the Army of the United States, from the Mouth of the River Missouri through the Interior Parts of North America to the Pacific Ocean, During the Years 1804, 1805 & 1806 PUBLISHER:                Printed by Zadok Cramer for David M'Keehan, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania DATE:                          1807 DESCRIPTION: A RARE FIRST EDITION OF THE EARLIEST FIRST-HAND ACCOUNT OF THE LEWIS & CLARK EXPEDITION. Original leather-backed marbled boards. Dimensions, 6 3/4" X 4 3/8", 262 pages. Book contains, "An authentic relation of the most interesting transactions during the expedition--A description of the country,--And an account of its inhabitants, soil, climate, curiosities and vegetable and animal productions." Book also features geographical and explanatory notes by the publisher. Patrick Gass (June 12, 1771 - April 2, 1870), a carpenter of Irish stock from Pennsylvania, became one of the best known members of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Meriwether Lewis enlisted Gass in January, 1804, and he was elected to fill the rank of sergeant in August, 1804. Sergeant Gass' journal of the famous expedition was the first to be published, in 1807, only a year after their return. Because of the untimely death of Meriwether Lewis, the official report of the Lewis and Clark expedition was not published until 1814. Sergeant Patrick Gass was also the first member of the expedition to have a biography written about him, and he outlived all the other members of the Corps of Discovery. Sergeant Gass remained in the army after the return of the expedition and lost an eye fighting in the War of 1812. He married at the age of sixty, had seven children, and lived in West Virginia with his family where died in 1870 at the age of 99. CONDITION: Leather spine has medium wear and a 1/4" tear on front part of spine. Binding is tight. Only part of the gilt stamped title is legible. Marbled boards are worn on front, back, edges and corners. Lower front corner shows heavy wear. (See photos) A book plate has been removed from the inside front cover. Text is lightly tanned and has occasional foxing. Front matter pages show corner wear and light staining. Light to medium staining on top right corners of random pages throughout the book (approx. 16 text and rear fly pages). Page 189 has three words written in quill pen at page bottom. Page 257 has a one inch mended closed edge tear. A rear fly page (three total) has a 3 1/2" X 3" piece cut out. A good copy for its 200 years of age.    Place a Bid!