HALLIBURTON, Richard.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

First two bulletins of the Halliburton Trans-Pacific Chinese Junk Expedition. The first two newsletters, each signed by the famous explorer on the last page, of his ill-fated final expedition, during which he planned to sail a junk, the Sea Dragon, from Hong Kong to the Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco. These examples are complete with their mailing envelopes and the two photographic prints of the Sea Dragon that Halliburton included with the second newsletter.The ambitious Halliburton set sail despite concerns over money, the seaworthiness of his vessel, and the inexperience of his crew. During the voyage, he sent regular bulletins back home to subscribers (who paid five dollars) across the US and further afield. The first instalment, sent from Shanghai before departure, describes preparations for the voyage and his motivation. "For years I have dreamed of sailing from China to America in a Chinese junk. Voyages aboard an ordinary sailing vessel interest me only mildly. But a junk! - with its up-soaring castled poop, its bright-colored mat sails, its big wooden 'eyes', its fascinating history - the very thought of exploring the China Seas, and then crossing the Pacific, in a such a romantic, picturesque and unconventional craft, has always excited my imagination. If the junk should be small, the storms violent, and the voyage long - all the better" (p. 1). The two photographs show the vessel from the stern and side.In 1939, two weeks after leaving Hong K

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