Voyages and travels of an Indian interpreter and trader : describing the manners and customs of the North American Indians ; with an account of the posts situated on the river Saint Laurence, Lake Ontario, &c. to which is added, a vocabulary of the Chippeway language, names of furs and skins, in English and French, a list of words in the Iroquois, Mohegan, Shawanee, and Esquimeaux tongues, and a table, shewing the analogy between the Algonkin and Chippeway languages

John Long

 London : Printed for the author ; and sold by Robson [Etc], 1791

[An important first hand account of Indians, The Hudson Bay Company and Fur Trading in the 18th Century.]  Quarto, 28 x 23 cm. Bound in contemporary diced russia.  Rebacked, with modern leather spine.  [2], x, [2], 295, [1] p. Includes the large folding map of Canada, the Great Lakes, and North America (Sketch of the Western Countries of Canada, 29 x 23 cm).  The pages are clean, unmarked and fresh.  Provenance: Armorial bookplate of Mary Montgomerie.   Later bookplate of William H. Chaflin, Jr.   Claflin (1893-1982) was an American businessman and archaeologist who made expeditions to Utah and Georgia (notably the Claflin-Emerson Expedition) in association with Harvard's Peabody Museum.  

Refs: Sabin 41878; Streeter VI 3651; Lande 1289; Howes L443; ESTC T122592. "The most valuable record of Indian life and the fur trade of the period" - Vail 878.

Long journeyed to Canada in 1768.  He furs traded in Montreal and lived with Native Americans for nineteen years in Canada and the Great Lakes region. During the American Revolution, Long headed an Indian raiding party, fighting for the Royalist cause for two years.  His extensive vocabularies of indigenous languages, although collected for the purpose of furthering trade, contain valuable information regarding the Chippewa language, which he found the most useful language when communicating with members of the Five and Six Nations. Includes a list of words in Iroquois, Mohegan, Shawnee, and Esquimeaux tongues, and a table shewing the analogy between the Algonkin and Chippeway languages.  Field describes Long's Voyages and Travels as "characterized by candor and intelligence."  Long declared his work, "Not the pages of a professed Tourist", but the observations of a commercial man.