BIRDS OF THE EARLY EXPLORERS IN THE NORTHERN PACIFIC. SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR.
Comox, BC: Published by Theed Pearse, "The Close" [1968]. First Edition (& 1st printing). Original blue boards lettered in silver on spine, map endpapers. Octavo, 275 pp. This copy is specially SIGNED by the Author on the title page. About a fine copy in dust jacket, some small stains. Item #314391
¶ The author researched accounts of early exploration to the North Pacific coast and has recorded here every known instance of bird species encountered and recorded in the explorers contemporary accounts. Most of the research was carried out at the Library of the Provincial Archives in Victoria, BC. Theed Pearse was a transplanted Englishman, who came to Canada with his brother, in 1909. A final note in the acknowledgments gives thanks to Dr. Clifford Carl of the BC Provincial Museum for taking over the superintendence of the printing and publishing of the book "when, owing to age and infirmities, it became impossible for me to carry on." Theed Pearse died in 1971, aged 99 years (!). But signed copies of BIRDS OF THE EARLY EXPLORERS IN THE NORTHERN PACIFIC are actually very, very scarce. This is not an unknown book at all: back in the late 1980's, it was discovered that hundreds of copies were still in the basement of the author's house in Comox. As a self-published book with an infirm author, there was little to no distribution of the work. After Bill Hoffer bought circa 500 copies of the book from the author's estate I fondly (?) recall that every bookstore in downtown Vancouver (mine included!) had at least a box full of these on hand, and sales of it were slim to nonexistent. Perhaps it is just *too* specific? My copies ended up mostly being given away when I left the lower mainland 25 years ago. Fast-forward to 2026 and now here I am, living on Hornby Island, BC (very near to Comox) and I haven't seen a copy since that time - until last week, when on a house call to look at a collection of books up in Cumberland I find two copies, including this signed one. Now, I know that I have looked at hundreds of copies of this book back in the day, and *none* of them were signed. Copies sold or presented by the author likely were signed, but how many of those would there have been ? My guess is: not very many at all.
Price (CAD): $75.00