The first book to describe any part of Alaska was by French geographer Jean-Baptiste du Halde in his General History of China, aka Description Geographique, Historique, Chronologique, Politique et Physique de de l'Empire de la China et de la Tartarie Chinoise (Paris: 1735) 4 Volumes. Translated and reprinted in The Hague and London in 1736, it contained a copy of the first report submitted by Vitus Bering when he reached St. Petersburg in 1730. Bering had reached St. Lawrence Island, now part of Alaska, but he never reached the American mainland.

[BCBW 2004] "1700-1800" "French"