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Arctic Exploration and the Search for the Northwest Passage in the First Half of the Nineteenth Century :

Arctic Exploration and The Search for the Northwest Passage
Parry & Ross Through Franklin's Last Voyage :
A Guide to Primary Sources Held at Library and Archives Canada


The purpose of this bibliography is to provide researchers at Library and Archives Canada with a listing of primary printed sources for the study of the search for the Northwest Passage in the early nineteenth century. The focus is on Library and Archives Canada holdings, but, where significant documents are held only in other Canadian repositories, these locations are noted. Secondary sources that were published between 1800 and 1860 are included as well, although items dealing primarily with the search for John Franklin will be found in a separate bibliography entitled "The Search for Franklin and Franklin Relics, 1847-1880." Also listed are reference works at Library and Archives Canada which are particularly helpful in locating additional primary sources. Such works will be found under the headings "Bibliographies" and "Library catalogues and collection guides."



Bibliographies
Library catalogues and collection guidelines
         General guides
         Catalogues of specific collections
Other useful reference works
Government documents (in chronological order)
         Published as part of the sessional papers
Contemporary accounts of voyages by officers and crew; journals; correspondence; sketches; separately published reports (by date and expedition leader)
Contemporary works about the search for the Northwest Passage and about those engaged in that search in the first half of the nineteenth century (in chronological order)



Bibliographies

Arctic bibliography. Washington : Dept. of Defense, 1953.
Z6005 P7 A7 Ref./Stacks/ReserveRef

Cooke, Alan. The exploration of northern Canada, 500-1920 : a chronology. Toronto : Arctic History Press, 1978. (Includes a 50-page bibliography on the Franklin search)
FC3956 C66 Ref./ReserveRef/Stacks

Corley, Nora T. A bibliography of expeditions to the Canadian Arctic 1576 to 1966, with special emphasis on the classics of Canadian exploration. Ottawa : Arctic Institute of North America, 1973.
Z6005 P7 C67 1973 fol. Reserve Ref.

Day, Alan Edwin. Search for the Northwest Passage : an annotated bibliography. New York : Garland, 1986.
Z6016 N67 D39 1986 Ref.

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Library catalogues and collection guides

General guides

Minion, Robin. Polar and cold regions library resources : a directory. 2nd ed. Edmonton : Northern Libraries Colloquy, 1985.
Z675 A2 C67 1985 fol. Ref./Stacks

Catalogues of specific collections

Arctic Institute of North America. Library. Catalogue of the Library of the Arctic Institute of North America, Montreal. Boston : G. K. Hall, 1968.
Z883 A7 xfol. Ref.

-- 2nd supplement. Boston : G.K. Hall, 1974. Z883 A723 xfol. Ref.
-- 3rd supplement. Boston : G.K. Hall, 1980. Z883 A723 1980 xfol. Ref.

Great Britain. Ministry of Defence. Naval Library. Author [and subject] catalogue of the Naval Library, Ministry of Defence, London. Boston : G.K. Hall, 1967.
Z921 L648 fol. Ref.

National Library of Scotland. Shelf-catalogue of the Wordie collection of polar exploration. Boston : G.K. Hall, 1964.
Z6005 P7 W6 fol. Ref.

National Maritime Museum (Great Britain). Library. Catalogue of the Library. London : HMSO, 1968-
Z921 N3 Ref. (v. 1-5)

Scott Polar Research Institute. The library catalogue of the Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge, England. Boston : G.K. Hall, 1976.
Z6005 P7 S36 fol. Ref.

-- 1st supplement. Boston : G.K. Hall, 1981. Z6005 P7 S372 fol. Ref.

Stefansson Collection. Dictionary catalog of the Stefansson Collection of the Polar Regions in the Dartmouth College Library. Boston : G.K. Hall, 1967.
Z6005 P7 S8 fol. Ref.

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Other useful reference works

Cooke, Alan. I. Toronto : Arctic History Press, 1978. (Includes an extensive list of officers and crewmen involved in the Franklin search)
FC3956 C66 Ref./ReserveRef/Stacks

Markham, Clements Robert. The Arctic navy list, or, A century of Arctic & Antarctic officers, 1773-1873 : together with a list of officers of the 1875 expedition, and their services. Portsmouth : Royal Naval Museum, 1992. Reprint. Originally published: London : Griffin, 1875.
G584 M37 1992 Reserve Ref

Poulsom, Neville Wright. The white ribbon : a medallic record of British polar expeditions. London : Seaby, 1968.
CJ6117 P6 P7 1968 Reserve Ref

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Government documents (chronological order)

Published as part of the sessional papers

Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Sessional papers : accounts and papers. London, 1847- .
National Library FIOP collection, on microcards only

Based on the Arctic bibliography, returns dealing with this period of Arctic exploration will be found in:

1818   "Bills public," v. 1, no. 99 (A bill for more effectually discovering the longitude at sea, and encouraging attempts to find a northern passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, ... 9 March 1818)
1834   "Reports from committees," v. 18, no. 250 (Report from Select Committee on the Expedition to the Arctic Seas, commanded by Captain John Ross ..., 28 April 1834)
1834   "Estimates and accounts," v. 42, no. 493 (Captain Ross : an estimate of the sum required to enable His Majesty to make a grant to Captain Ross ..., 18 July 1834)
1846   "Accounts and papers 2, Estimates," v. 26, no. 51 (Navy estimates for the year 1846-47 ..., 13 February 1846) 1847/48 "Accounts and papers," v. 41 no. 264, 386 (Arctic expedition : return to an address of the Honourable the House of Commons dated 21 March 1848, for copies of instructions to Captain Sir John Franklin ..., 13 April 1848) Cyriax Collection G660 G7

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