Adventures of the First Settlers on the Oregon or Columbia River: Being a Narrative of the Expedition Fitted Out by John Jacob Astor, to Establish the "Pacific Fur Company;" with an Account of Some Indian Tribes on the Coast of the Pacific by Ross, Alexander - 1849

London: Smith, Elder and Co, 1849. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good/No Jacket. 12mo - over 6. 7 1/2 x 5 inches, 352 pages, fold-out map at frontis; rebound in brown calf, five raised bands on spine, gilt bordered boards and gilt bands to spine, boards scuffed and rubbed along extremities, bottom corners and tail of spine wearing through, tiny splits at joint ends, front internal hinge neatly repaired with archival tissue, bit of sticker residue and book plate in front end paper, scattered foxing to fold out map and title page, tiny closed tear to fore edge of title page, toned pages otherwise clean and crisp, binding remains sound. 352 pages. Measures about 5 x 7.5 inches. Bookplate bears the Royal Motto of England, "Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense" within a garter, encircling a gryphon, standing over a baby, with a royal crown at the top of the garter. Considered by Elliott Coues to be one of the three "synoptical gospels" of the Astoria enterprise (along with the narratives of Gabriel Franchere and Ross Cox). Alexander Ross came to Astoria at the beginning and his narrative includes a general account of the venture, the overland expedition, the geography and the native tribes. Appendices: Chinook Vocabulary; Table of the Weather at the Mouth of the Columbia. Fold out Map of the Columbia to Illustrate Ross's Adventures.