Narrative of the United States Expedition to the River Jordan and the Dead Sea
Philadelphia, PA: Lea and Blanchard, 1849. 1st Edition. 8vo. Very Good. Item #18732
A lovely 1849 1st Edition first-hand account of this U.S. Navy expedition to map the Jordan, its tributaries, and the Dead Sea.
Lynch would serve as an an officer in the Confederate States Navy during the Civil War.
"In 1847, he proceeded to the Jordan River, transporting overland, by camels, a copper and a galvanized iron boat. A total of 16 men were a part of the trip, including John Y. Mason. Each boat was "assembled" and then placed on a carriage. His expedition ended with the exploration of the River Jordan and the Dead Sea.
"Using the triangulation method, Lynch's expedition was the first to determine that the Dead Sea was below sea level, something that the scientific community had inferred but not previously determined conclusively, though several other expeditions by Europeans had attempted to do so. The American expedition's measurement showed the Dead Sea to be 1312.7 ft. below sea level." - wiki
Publisher's dark brown cloth with gilt illustration to front and titling to spine. Tight binding. 28 plates and two folding maps. Binding with mild rubbing and edge wear, but gilt nice and bright. Spine lightly slanted. Sporadic foxing. Both folding maps with closed tears. Plates lightly tanned. 509pp. + ads.
Presents handsomely in archival mylar.
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