Alaska – Narrative, Glaciers, Natives – History, Geography, Resources (Harriman Alaska Expedition)

Edward Henry Harriman (1848-1909) was one of the nation’s most powerful railroad magnates. In 1899 he organized a large, lavish expedition which left Seattle on the ship George W. Elder. Carrying 126 passengers, consisting of scientists, artists, photographers, naturalists, crew and family, the Elder steamed almost 9,000 miles along the coasts of British Columbia and Alaska. They made some 50 stops collecting 600 new species, 8000 insects, thousands of shellfish, birds and small mammals, and even a small number of large mammal specimens. The expedition returned with over one hundred trunks of specimens and more than 5000 photographs and colored illustrations. It took 50 specialists the better part of a decade to study, catalogue, edit and publish the thirteen volumes that cover the scientific observations and findings from the expedition. The first two volumes, offered here, were published in 1901. Subsequent volumes appeared from 1904-14. This is a nice set, unfortunately missing two loose folding maps.