The Kelsey Papers / La Collection Kelsey. First Edition, 1929

DEXCRIPTION: Large octavo, approximately 26.5 cm, lxxxiii, 128 pp. Illustrated with a frontispiece facsimile reproduction of a page from the original Kelsey manuscript and a large folding map at rear entitled "Map to Illustrate Kelsey’s Journals 1690–1692," printed with waterways in colour. Original buff stiff paper wrappers, printed in English as The Kelsey Papers and in French as La Collection Kelsey. English and French introductory material. Rough untrimmed/deckled edges. The collection contains eleven documentary pieces covering Kelsey's western explorations, observations concerning Indigenous peoples, and his later activities connected with the Hudson’s Bay Company and Hudson Bay. The original papers were discovered in 1926 among the Dobbs Collection and were published here for the first time in collected form. CONDITION: Original bilingual printed stiff wrappers moderately toned/sunned overall, with darker toning toward margins and spine. English front wrapper with light surface and handling wear, small edge nicks and short creases, minor corner wear, and a small pencilled numerical notation at upper right. French rear wrapper similarly toned with several minor brownish marks/streaks and edge wear. Wrapper extremities somewhat chipped and irregular. Paper spine sunned, and rubbed. printed spine lettering nevertheless remains legible. Binding is strong text block is securely retained, with no detached gatherings. Contents generally clean and crisp with only mild age toning. Original rough, untrimmed/deckled edges retained, with some leaves apparently unopened or partially unopened. Frontispiece facsimile of Kelsey's manuscript present. Large folding map at rear present and complete, clean and attractive, retaining the original coloured waterways and showing only normal folding creases with no substantial tears visible. No dust jacket, as issued in wrappers. A complete, unrestored example retaining the particularly desirable original bilingual wrappers and folding map.…