We guarantee the authenticity and completeness of all items (unless otherwise described), and are happy to provide a certificate to this effect. All items can be assumed to be in good condition, with any defects being described in our description.
We guarantee the authenticity and completeness of all items (unless otherwise described), and are happy to provide a certificate to this effect. All items can be assumed to be in good condition, with any defects being described in our description.
However the various expeditions led by Robert Peary (1856-1920) to Greenland and the North Pole definitely fall into the “because it’s there” category – the glory of becoming the first person to reach the top of the world, an ambition he had harboured since being a young naval officer.
His first two expeditions (1886 and 1891) taught him a lot about the difficulties of crossing the Polar regions and it was on the second that Peary adopted Inuit survival techniques; he built igloos during the expedition and dressed in practical furs in the native fashion. He adopted these practices both for heat preservation (furs) and to dispense with the extra weight of tents and sleeping bags when on the march by building igloos instead. Peary also relied on the Inuit as hunters and dog-drivers on his expeditions. He pioneered the system (which he called the "Peary system") of using support teams and establishing supply caches for Arctic travel.
Peary made further expeditions in 1898-1902, and 1905-1906, both times establishing “Farthest North” records. The second of these expeditions proved highly controversial with Peary claiming to have discovered a new land in the north-west which he named Crocker Land after his sponsor, George Crocker. Although honoured for this by the American National Geographical Society, it later turned out that the land did not exist.
Peary’s final expedition took place in 1908-1909. Setting out on S. S. Roosevelt, wintering on Ellesmere Island, before making his final push for the Pole together with five companions, he claimed to have reached the North Pole in April 1909. Controversy dogged him yet again – none of his companions on the final stage of his journey were capable of verifying the navigational measurements so it came down to Peary’s word. Also, the surgeon on one of his earlier expeditions, Frederick Cook, had himself led expeditions to the Pole and claimed to have discovered it the previous year. Although Cook’s claim was later discredited, at the time it was widely believed.
Peary is also controversial for removing and selling Inuit meteorites to American Museums, exploiting the native people and displaying them in New York. Nevertheless, it can’t be disputed that Peary made important contributions to Arctic exploration, and his personal accomplishments of adventure and endurance were remarkable feats.
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Shapero Rare Books is an internationally renowned dealer in London, specialising in antiquarian & rare books and works on paper, with particular expertise in fine illustrated books from the 15th to the 20th century, travel & voyages, natural history, modern firsts, rare children’s books, guidebooks, Hebraica & Judaica, Eastern European, and Islamica.
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In anticipation of the approaching London Antiquarian book fairs, this May, we are spotlighting rare African exploration works. Featured, are four first editions, with inscriptions linking them to historical figures, enhancing their collectability.
Join us as we journey through time to discover some of the rarest books in the world. The following texts have shown an extraordinary ability to survive, with some books having survived the ravages of flood and fire, and others counting only a single surviving copy.
The public perception of the East India Company, an organisation which was to become one of Britain's most notorious colonial ventures, was mediated by a collective of artists. Diplomatic wrangling, imperial posturing, trade and warfare became the subjects of a significant artistic movement, aimed at depicting and dissecting the Company’s involvement in the political and social life of the period.
The woods and rivers, hills and hollows of fiction constitute some of our earliest and most beloved memories: from the Hundred Acre Wood to the home of Mr. McGregor. Join us this Easter as we travel through the imaginary places and winding roads of children’s literature.
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