Pacific Exploration] Wilson, Captain James

A Missionary Voyage to the Southern Pacific Ocean, Performed in the Years 1796, 1797, 1798, in the Ship Duff...

London: Printed for T. Chapman by T. Gillet, 1799. First Edition.

Quarto (10.5"x8.5"). Bound in a handsome contemporary-style half tan calf over marbled boards. The spine is expertly partitioned into six compartments with raised bands, accented by gilt-stamped floral motifs and a black morocco title label lettered in gilt. 

Complete with a total of 13 engraved plates, comprising 7 large folding maps/charts and 6 views.

A foundational primary account of the first mission sent by the London Missionary Society to the South Seas. Commanded by Captain James Wilson, the Duff landed missionaries in Tahiti (Otaheite), the Tonga (Friendly) Islands, and the Marquesas.

While the mission's primary goal was religious, the resulting text is a vital geographical and anthropological record. It provides detailed observations of Polynesian culture, social structures, and linguistics just as Western influence began to take permanent hold. This volume includes a lengthy "Preliminary Discourse" on the geography and history of the South Sea Islands and an extensive Appendix detailing the "Natural and Civil State of Otaheite," which remains a primary source for historians of the Pacific.

Internally clean with only occasional light foxing or offsetting, largely confined to the plates. The folding maps are well-preserved with no significant tears at the folds. The binding is sturdy and presents beautifully on the shelf.