12mo (171 x 105 mm). Half-title [A3], page [ix]. (Some browning and staining, a few leaves creased; minor marginal flaw or tear on T2 not affecting text, occasional small reader’s marks in early ink.) Contemporary sheep-backed marbled boards (joints and spine expertly repaired, some wear to corners, a little rubbed). Provenance:  David Gerky (ownership inscription dated 1807 crossed-out on front flyleaf); Samuel Reinoehl (name stamp and signatures on front flyleaves, one dated 1833).

FIRST EDITION OF THE “EARLIEST FULL FIRST-HAND NARRATIVE OF THE LEWIS AND CLARK EXPEDITION, PRECEDING THE OFFICIAL ACCOUNT BY SEVEN YEARS” (Howes).  

Born in Pennsylvania, Patrick Gass "became one of the best-known members of the expedition for several reasons: his key role as sergeant brought his name up frequently in the journals of Lewis and Clark; his account was the first to be published; he was the first to have a biography written about him; and finally, he outlived the other members of the Corps of Discovery by decades" (Wagner-Camp-Becker). "Although [Gass's Journal] lacked the insight, reflection, and depth of geographic, ethnographic, diplomatic, and scientific observations penned by Lewis and Clark, it and Jefferson's Message from the President were the only accounts available for seven years to describe the expedition's adventures" (Beckham, p. 89). Beckham, The Literature of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, pp. 89-90, 3.1; Graff 1516; Howes G-77; Sabin 26741; Shaw 12646; Smith 3465; Wagner-Camp-Becker 6:1.