French Expedition to Pacific and Antarctic (1837-1840)

'Voyage au Pole Sud et dan l'Oceanie sur les corvettes l'Astrolabe et la Zelee, execute par ordre du Roi pendant les annees 1837-1838-1839-1840' by Dumont D'Urville (Jules Sebastian Cesar) [1790-1842] in 30 volumes (in 3 sizes), comprising volumes of text, engraved and lithographed plates, maps and charts. The full official account of the great French expedition, commanded by Dumont D'Urville under the patronage of King Louis-Philippe, to explore in the Pacific and the Antarctic. Departing in 1837 in the Astrolabe and Zelee, Dumont D'Urville spent thirty-eight months circumnavigating the globe, visiting Chile, the Pacific, landing at Tahiti, Fiji, Singapore amongst others, returning to France: via New Zealand, the Torres Strait and the Indian Ocean. In the Antarctic they sailed west through the South Orkneys, reaching the South Shetlands, naming the D'Urville and Joinville Islands and the land beyond (the northern tip of Graham Land) was called Terre de Louise-Philippe. Scurvy, resulting in the death of one member of the crew, led to the expedition turning back from an attempt to travel further west of Graham Land. On his return, Dumont D'Urville was awarded the gold medal of the Societe de Geographie, of which he was a founding member. The official reports, including a narrative of the voyage, scientific results and the atlas of fine charts were completed after D'Urville's death in a railway accident in 1842.