[6 (incl. pictorial title)]. ix, [3], [9]-389 pp. With 15 lithographed plates including the frontispiece; 3 folding maps. (8vo) 19x11.5 cm (7½x4½"), original printed wrappers; custom folding cloth box. First Edition in French, with additions.
De Smet's chronicle of his westward trek to evangelize to the Indians beyond the Rockies. De Smet, a Jesuit, met with unprecedented success, and eventually became an intermediary at Washington on behalf of the Indians of the region. De Smet's diplomatic skill and uncanny rapport with the Indians caused even his Protestant rivals to declare him "the sincerest friend the Indians ever had". The maps are: "Nouvelle Carte du Territoire l'Oregon"; "Nouvelle Carte des Sources du Fleuve Colombie"; and "Nouvelle Carte des Sources de la RiviéreTéte-Plate." The present copy is in rare state, in the original wrappers, untrimmed and almost entirely unopened.
Provenance: Maggs 12/75
References: Graff 3827; Howes D 286, Field p. 363; Sabin 82265; W-C 141:2; W-TW 537, 538, 539 for maps.