One of the most beautiful of all Pacific voyage plate books, and one of the rarest. Often, there is considerable foxing to the text leaves and browning to the plates, but there is almost no evidence of this in the present copy, which is in a superb contemporary Russian binding. Unsigned, it is in the style of lavish French bindings of the 19th century, and is the work of an unknown Russian binder of considerable skill.
Choris, a Russian of German stock, was only 20 when he was appointed as draughtsman on the Kotzebue expedition of 1815-1818. This, his great work, was first issued in 22 parts between 1820 and 1822, most of the views do not appear in the later official accounts of the expedition published in Germany and Russia. The many beautiful plates include views and scenes of native life, artefacts, plants, shells and animals. They show California (several views of San Francisco), Hawaii (including the first view of Honolulu), Alaska, and various parts of Micronesia.
Three issues of the plates were published. (1) Without any colouring, (2) with 25 natural history plates coloured (as here), and (3) with all plates coloured. Moreover, the book itself seems to exits in two issues, the earlier (as here) with an 1820 title-page as well as another dated 1822, and the later issue with only an 1822 title-page. A number of plates were later reworked by Choris and exist in variant states. The present copy appears to consist entirely of first states, and we are certain that the plate of the dancing women in Hawaii (plate XVI) is in its first state, identified by Lada-Mocarski with the plain back background.
The list of subscribers accounts for only 188 copies, including the Emperor of Russia, and the King of France. 57 copies were made for subscribers in Russia, including 10 for the Emperor and 20 for Prince Gallitzin, one of the emperor's ministers. The lavish binding indicates that this copy may have been for presentation purposes and thus may well been one of these 30 "official" copies.
The most beautiful book on the north Pacific, this has more early views of Hawaii, Alaska, and California than any other. It is "one of the valuable and fundamental works on Alaska, California, and the Hawaiian Islands"(Lada-Mocarskia) and "one of the most beautiful books of travel in existence" (Hill).
With the book plate of Frederick E. Ellis, Shaw Island on the front paste-down, the binding shows slight signs of wear, mainly around the hinges, some occasional slight browning and foxing. Otherwise in very good condition. A remarkable work on the Pacific with beautiful plates, in a magnificent Russian binding. Cowan, I, 47; Forbes, Hawaiian National Bibliography, 541; Forbes, Treasures, 29; Hawaii One Hundred, 27; Hill 290; Lada-Mocarski 84; Nissen, ZBI, 881; Sabin 12884; Soliday I, 592a (extremely rare); Streeter 2461; Wickersham 6676.