PALMER, James Croxall.
Thulia: The Tale of the Antarctic.
"Deep in a far and lonely bay, begirt by desert cliffs of snow, a little bark at anchor lay, in southern twilight's fiery glow": First edition of J. C. Palmer's Thula: The Tale of the Antarctic; inscribed by him to his sister
New York: Published by Samuel Colman, 1843.
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First edition of Palmer's poetic account of the expedition of the USS Flying-Fish, the "earliest published Antarctic poetry" (Rosove). Octavo, original publisher's gilt-decorated cloth, with 12 tissue-guarded wood-engraved plates by A. T. Agate. Appendix to which the reader is referred for a narrative prepared from the journals of the Flying-Fish. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper to his sister, "Elizabeth S. Hurst from her affec't Brother Dec. 15 1842." In near fine condition. An exceptional example of this rare and intriguing work.
James Croxall Palmer was the Assistant-Surgeon to the Wilkes expedition that established that Antarctica was its own continent, and he was on board the Peacock when it was subsequently wrecked in the mouth of the Columbia River later in the voyage. His subsequent career was illustrious, and he ultimately became the Surgeon General to the U.S. Navy. The Thulia, the vessel for which his poem is titled, is based on the Flying-Fish, the smallest of the six vessels in the exploring squadron, and the work is dedicated to its commander, Lieutenant William M. Walker. Issued only a year after the completion of the expedition, it has been referred to (by Rosove) as the "earliest published Antarctic poetry." The illustrator A.T. Agate was also with the Wilkes expedition as an official artist, and the music for the Antarctic Mariner's Song was written for the guitar by James D. Dana, the geologist to the Expedition. The poem has a prose appendix which provides a factual account of the voyage (Conrad p. 53; Haskell 186; Renard 1188; Rosove 246.A2c; Spence 890).
Thulia: The Tale of the Antarctic.
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