CRESSWELL, Samuel Gurney (1827-1867). A series of eight sketches in colour (together with a chart of the route), by Lieut. S. Gurney Cresswell, of the voyage of H.M.S. Investigator (Captain M’Clure), during the discovery of the North-west passage. London: Day and Son, 1854.

Folio (594 x 430 mm). 8 chromolithographed plates, one chart. (Very pale marginal spotting to a few plates.) Contemporary half red morocco gilt (some rubbing and light wear). Provenance: Leatham family (armorial bookplate with the motto "Virtute vinces"); collector's bookplate, a few pencil marks.

THE RARE COMPLETE SET OF VIEWS OF THE ENTRAPMENT AND ABANDONMENT OF THE H.M.S. INVESTIGATOR IN THE ARCTIC ICE

FIRST EDITION. Robert McClure was given command of the Investigator in 1850 as part of the second Franklin search expedition, with Samuel Gurney Cresswell second-in-command. The Investigator entered the North-West Passage via the Bering Strait and sailed eastward, becoming trapped in pack ice at Mercy Bay in the autumn of 1851. McClure and his crew abandoned the ship on 3 June 1853. Unlike the loss of the Erebus and Terror, the events surrounding Investigator's abandonment are well-documented, although the exact location of the wreckage was unknown for over 150 years. In July 2010, the remains of the ship were discovered in the Beaufort Sea, still sitting upright. Abbey Travel 644; Arctic Bibliography 3477 ("These lithographs are of quite remarkable beauty and unusual colouring. The clear and vivid colour effects of the Arctic are shown with great distinctness in these prints which are highly desirable"); Sabin 17490; Staton & Tremaine/TPL 3353. Rare: According to online records, we trace only 4 complete copies of Cresswell's work sold at auction in the last 50 years.