# Is "Lake Superior: Its Physical Character, Vegetation, and Animals" by Louis Agassiz a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Lake Superior: Its Physical Character, Vegetation, and Animals by Louis Agassiz (Gould, Kendall and Lincoln, 1850) is identified by: First edition, collating x, [2], [9]-428 pages, illustrated with a folding map of the lake basin ('Outlines of Lake Superior, showing the several systems of dykes, and the direction of the glacial scratches in various localities') plus lithographed plates of landscapes and natural-history specimens, with a narrative of the 1848 Lake Superior expedition contributed by J.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, collating x, [2], [9]-428 pages, illustrated with a folding map of the lake basin ('Outlines of Lake Superior, showing the several systems of dykes, and the direction of the glacial scratches in various localities') plus lithographed plates of landscapes and natural-history specimens, with a narrative of the 1848 Lake Superior expedition contributed by J. Elliot Cabot and other members of the party
- Bound in the publisher's original cloth
- Standard Americana bibliographies cite this printing as Howes A85, Sabin 84, and Field 15
- Publisher imprint reads Gould, Kendall and Lincoln
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Louis Agassiz |
| Publisher | Gould, Kendall and Lincoln |
| Year | 1850 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, collating x, [2], [9]-428 pages, illustrated with a folding map of the lake basin ('Outlines of Lake Superior, showing the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition, collating x, [2], [9]-428 pages, illustrated with a folding map of the lake basin ('Outlines of Lake Superior, showing the several systems of dykes, and the direction of the glacial scratches in various localities') plus lithographed plates of landscapes and natural-history specimens, with a narrative of the 1848 Lake Superior expedition contributed by J. Elliot Cabot and other members of the party. Bound in the publisher's original cloth. Standard Americana bibliographies cite this printing as Howes A85, Sabin 84, and Field 15.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Lake Superior: Its Physical Character, Vegetation, and Animals* by Louis Agassiz a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/lake-superior-its-physical-character-vegetation-and-animals
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.