Narrative of a journey to the shores of the Arctic Ocean, in 1833, 1834, and 1835 under the command of Capt Back.

King's narrative of a journey to the shores of the Arctic Ocean is one of the most important Arctic accounts and a rarity.

'[King] was appointed surgeon and naturalist to the expedition led by George Back to look for John Ross, who had been gone four years on a search for the north-west passage. Although only second in command, King had a much more arduous share of the work than Back and was largely responsible for the success of the expedition. Back's Narrative… contains meteorological and botanical appendices by King who also wrote his own Narrative. King's is in many respects the better book, since he showed a far deeper understanding of the indigenous peoples of the Arctic and did not indulge in dramatic exaggeration. His narrative made clear that, had the journey been better organized, more could have been accomplished'. (Arctic Bibliography).

First edition; 2 vols, 8vo, xv, [iii], 312, viii, 321 pp. 2 engraved frontispieces, engraved plate, engraved map, bound without half-title vol i (not called for in vol ii), modern half calf gilt, marbled sides, occasional light spotting, tiny repair to blank corner of frontispiece, a very good copy.

Arctic Bibliography 8708; Field 831; Sabin 37831; Streeter Sale 3705; Wagner-Camp 62.