Victorian Earl in the Arctic: The Travels and Collections of the Fifth Earl of Lonsdale 1888-89

Book show very light use only. Binding is solid and square, text/interior is clean and free of marking of any kind. Dust jacket shows light shelf wear only, no tears. The second son of the 3rd Earl of Lonsdale, he succeeded his brother, the 4th Earl, in 1882. Lord Lonsdale was an avid sportsman and bon vivant and was known by some as "England's greatest sporting gentleman". He was a founding member of the National Sporting Club and he donated the original Lonsdale Belts for boxing. His name was later given to a clothing brand of boxing garments, worn by Muhammad Ali. After a scandal, in 1888, Lonsdale set out to explore the Arctic regions of Canada as far north as Melville Island, and nearly dying before reaching Kodiak, Alaska in 1889 and returning to England. Lord Lonsdale was the inspiration for the Lonsdale cigar size, and was part of a famous wager with John Pierpoint Morgan over whether a man could circumnavigate the globe and remain unidentified. He enjoyed foxhunting, serving as Master of The Quorn from 1893 to 1898 and of the Cottesmore Hunt for long periods. He was also a keen football fan, and was chairman of Arsenal Football Club for a brief period in 1936 (having previously been a club director). He later became the club's Honorary President. He was known as the Yellow Earl for his penchant for the colour. He was a founder and first president of the Automobile Association (AA) which adopted his livery. When the Earl set out on his expedition the New York Daily Tribune said of him "When Lonsdale was last seen he was departing northward from Winnipeg, clad in a tweed suit as highly checkered as his own career - loud enough, in fact to be heard a mile away without the aid od a microphone" This book published the diaries, journals and correspondence of that adverturous year and catalogues the collection of native artifacts that he bought home with him. Many b&w photos of the collection, including hunting equipment, fishing tackly, clothing and bodily decoration, vessels and containers, transportation, artifacts of ritual, ceremony and play, tobacco, curios.