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| 51. | Ephemera. ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTION TO THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ARMED VESSELS IF THE UNITED STATES. After President Monroe issued his Instructions to Privateers in the War of 1812, two additions were deemed necessary. This second addition orders privateers not to interrupt British shipping bound for Sable Island "laden with supplies for the humane establishment at that place." This probably refers to the lifesaving station that had long been established there, but may also refer to a leper colony said to have been set up on the remote island. Folded printed sheet measuring 7 1/2" x 71/2". Printed with American Eagle seal at top and dated November 7th, 1812 in type at bottom. Signed by James Monroe as Secretary of State. Two small holes at top of paper not affecting text. A fresh clean example of a rare document. $1500 |
| 52. | Ephemera. ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTION TO THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ARMED VESSELS IF THE UNITED STATES. After President Monroe issued his Instructions to Privateers in the War of 1812, two additions were deemed necessary. This first addition orders privateers not to interrupt American vessels inbound from British ports. They are to "give aid and assistance to the same; in order that such vessels and their cargoes may be dealt with on their arrival as may be decided by the competent authorities." Signed by James Monroe as Secretary of State. Dated in manuscript Aug. 28, 1812. Addressed in manuscript to Captain Robert Thompson of the private armed Ship Good Friend, of Philadelphia. Folded sheets measuring 7 1/2" x 9 1/4". Two very small holes on page. but a clean and fresh copy of a rare document. $1500 |
| 53. | (Ephemera.) BRITISH CHINA TRADE DOCUMENTS - PORT REGULATIONS, 1840S. Two folio sheets, folded, bearing the imprints, "Hongkong: Published by the Authority and Printed by John Carr" and "Printed at the Canton Press Office." They are both regulations for British trade at the ports of Victoria, Canton, Amoy, Fuchow, Ningpo and Shanghai. The former document, regulations for Victoria, has a red tax stamp, the inscription "Ship Hygeia" and is docketed "Ship Hygeia. Reglement du Port d'hong Kong" The latter document has two pages of duties on specific trade items, giving the amount of duty for a specific quantity of the item, both imports and exports. The documents are accompanied by a provenance that traces them back to Capt. Rocquemaurel, who had been second in command to Dumont d'Urville in his South Sea Expedition, 1837-40, and who was responsible for the Port d'hong Kong inscription. Most unusual. Two items $1500 |
| 54. | Ephemera. CARTES DE VISITE OF FOUR SHIP CAPTAINS. These photographic calling cards were popular during the latter half of the 19th century. Each one of the present lot is signed or inscribed on the back. Captain Greenman of the clipper ship Favorita had his portrait taken at Anvers. Captain Deering, in Augusta, Maine. Captain John Dixon had his photo taken in Bombay in 1877, and Captain Cotter inscribed the back of his portrait, "Old Ireland is my country and my name is Capt. Cotter. Ship Tim Whiffley, writ in Bombay, Feb/72" A glimpse into the great days of merchant sail. Fine condition. $80 |
| 55. | Ephemera. FARMER'S ALMANACK, 1824, 1827. Two Farmer's Almanacs belonging to Nantucket farmer Cyrus Hussey, whose son, Cyrus Hussey junior, was one of the survivors of the infamous Globe mutiny. In these almanacs, along with such homely inscriptions as "cow dry" In 1824 Hussey records taking tea with another survivor of the mutiny and learning that his son is among the missing, then the joyous notation, in 1827, learning that his son had been rescued and was in New York. See DEMON OF THE WATERS, Chapter 37, "The Almanac." Both almanacs $750 |
| 56. | Ephemera. LONDON ATLAS MAP OF COLUMBIA, EQUADOR AND PERU. Late 19th century folding color pocket map measuring 23" x 27 1/2" backed on linen. From Lake Nicaragua to Arica, with insets of Panama Railway and the Galapagos Islands, and lines showing submarine telegraph and steamer routes. Front cover detached, else Good condition. $75 |
| 57. | Ephemera. MERCHANT SHIP LOG, 1825. Small folio, unpaginated, about 65 pp. Log of the Ship Ann from New Zealand to England. Standard pre-printed log pages with entries detailing weather, position, and daily occurrences on board. Entries are brief and perfunctory but give the main outlines of the voyage which went from April 2 to August 5, 1825, early for merchant activity from New Zealand. The last 8 pages of the book are taken up by an even more abbreviated log of the Ship Planet from New York to Petersburg in 1834. Covers lacking but logs complete. Pages browned and stained, handwriting crabbed, legible only on close reading. $300 |
| 58. | Ephemera. SEA JOURNAL OF SAMUEL GOODHUE, ABOARD THE SHIP SUMATRA, SALEM TO CANTON, 1830. Watercolor illustrations. Sq. 8vo. About 150 manuscript pages. This journal was kept by Samuel Goodhue of Salem, who was probably a mate aboard the Ship Sumatra, which made regular runs to Canton during this period. The year before she had delivered William Low, his wife, and his niece, Harriett to China, where Low was to manage the powerful American trading firm Russell & Co. Harriett Low kept a journal of her stay in China, and she recorded her passage in the Sumatra under Captain Roundy (published in Loines’ China Trade Post Bag and Lights and Shadows of a Macao Life). However, she never mentioned what the ship was actually doing in China. This journal clears that question up in a single entry. “Feb 4 - This day discharged all our opium on board of the Bark Lintin.” Robert Bennet Forbes, whose arrival in China is noted in this journal, had just taken command of the opium receiving ship Lintin and the Sumatra was supplying it. The journal is well written and quite detailed about the journey out and back, as well as a side trip to Manilla and stays at Canton and Macao. It mentions current events and details of life there, such as the murder of an English captain in Canton, and it names all the ships and captains at Lintin. It also features water color views of Trinidad, Java Head, St. Barbe, several island groups in the Indian Ocean, a whale, two views of the ship, and a funereal set piece commemorating the death of a shipmate. A rare and important journal from an interesting period in the American China Trade, rich in detail and historic significance. Front cover and first page detached but present. Text and illustrations in very good condition. $5000 |
| 59. | Ephemera. SHIP’S PAPERS FOR THE WHALESHIP “GOLD HUNTER”, SIGNED BY PRESIDENT ANDREW JACKSON. This four-language broadside, measuring 20.5” x 16”, gives permission for the whale ship Gold Hunter to leave Fall River for a whaling voyage to the Pacific on August 3, 1837, under master Clark Estis. In fact, she fished in the South Atlantic, returning on April 10, 1839, with 2,200 bbls. whale oil. (Starbuck, 338) SIGNED BY PRESIDENT ANDREW JACKSON and Secretary of State John Forsyth. With two seals. Small tear along crease line, slightly affecting Jackson’s signature, else VG. $2500 |
| 60. | Ephemera. SLAVE DOCUMENTS, NEWPORT, RI AND HAVANA, CUBA, 1806. Instructions from Newport ship owners Robert Ambrose and Jeremiah Peckham to Captain Slocum Fowler instructing him to sail the brig Alfred to Africa where he was to sell his cargo and invest the proceeds in slaves "three quarters males & one quarter females." He was then to sail to Havana and turn his cargo over to James Gorham and Amos Green who were to dispose of it for him. A second document shows that they accomplished this. It lists 20 buyers of slaves, the number, gender, health and age group of slaves they bought and how much they paid for each. Also itemized are expenses incurred in the sale and net profit - $17,5781. Between 1795 and 1805 more than 100,000 Africans were sent to America on 934 Rhode Island vessels. However legislation against importing slaves was passed in 1805, so these slaves were sold in Cuba. Slavery documents, especially those naming individuals from northern states are extremely rare. $3500 |
| 61. | Ephemera. THREE COMMEMORATIVE MEDALLIONS FROM THE WAR OF 1812. Three bronze medallions 2 1/2 inches in diameter. The first has a bust of Edward R. McCall on one side and a view of the battle between the Enterprize and the Boxer on the other. The second has a bust of Robert Henley with a view of the Eagle 6 and the Battle of Lake Champlain on the reverse. The third is of Thomas Macdonough with the view of the Battle of Lake Champlain on the reverse. All are finely executed in sharp relief, with captions in Latin. The busts are signed by F. Furst. These medallions probably date from the 1830s, though I’ve been told restrikes were issued later in the 1800s. The lot. $1200 |
| 62. | Esquemeling, John. THE BUCCANEERS OF AMERICA. Lon. 1911. b/w plates, fldg map. xxxv, 508 pp. Minor wear, else a nice copy of this perennial favorite. $65 |
| 63. | Falconer, William. AN UNIVERSAL DICTIONARY OF THE MARINE... Lon. 1780. b/w plates. 4to. Unpaginated. "A copious explanation of the technical terms and phrases employed in the construction, equipment, furniture, machinery, movements and military operations of a ship. Illustrated with (a) variety of original designs of shipping, in different situations, together with separate views of their masts, sails, yards and rigging." Early edition of a work on shipbuilding, first published in 1769. The book is as noted for its 12 informative plates as its hundreds of definitions of shipbuilding terms. Scott 342, McDonald 255. Some edge browning to plates 4, 9 and 12, not affecting image. Scattered foxing and tanning. Original calf boards rebacked in calf with red spine label. Typed presentation ca. 1950 tipped onto front blank, which also has handsome ownership signature of William Cook, 1796. A Good copy of an important book. $1000 |
| 64. | Fanning, Edmund. VOYAGES ROUND THE WORLD; WITH SELECTED SKETCHES OF VOYAGES TO THE SOUTH SEAS... CHINA, ETC. NY 1833. b/w plates. (xiii), 499 pp. First edition. "Captain Fanning of Stonington, Connecticut, sailed for the South Seas in 1792, on a voyage for sealskins, and during the next twenty-five years made voyages to the Pacific and around the world, visiting Australia,... South Georgia, and the islands of Fiji, Tonga and the Marquesas. He discovered several islands, including one that still bears his name, lying 1200 miles south of Honolulu. Included is an account of the first American naval exploring expedition to the southern hemisphere, 1829-30, sponsored by the U.S. government and commanded by Benjamin Pendleton."—Hill p.101. Ferguson, 1643, calling it "A very interesting work.... it was his petition to Congress and largely his own personal efforts that finally led to... the exploring expedition that sailed under the command of... Charles Wilkes." See also Spence 454. Bound in contemporary half calf over marbled boards,backstrip laid down. This copy shows occasional foxing, though the plates, which are usually heavily foxed, have escaped the worst of it. A decent copy of a scarce and important book in its original binding. $1500 |
| 65. | Faulkner, Joseph P. EIGHTEEN MONTHS ON A GREENLAND WHALER. NY. 1878 b/w frontis. x-317 pp. Faulkner appears to have sailed on the schooner “Franklin” of New London. She wintered over and returned with 393 barrels of whale oil and 6600 pounds of whale bone. The author provides vivid accounts of shipboard life and the business of whaling. Jenkins, p. 99. Starbuck pp. 622-623. A Very Good copy of the first edition in original cloth binding. $200 |
| 66. | Fellowes, Francken, Inglefield and Sutherland. LOSS OF THE LADY HOBART PACKET; OF THE HON. EAST INDIA COMPANY’S SHIP CABALVA; AND OF THE CENTAUR AND LITCHFIELD MEN OF WAR. Lon. 1824. 123 pp. Four narratives of shipwrecks reprinted together. According to Huntress the “Lady Hobart” sailed from Halifax June 22, 1803. A few days later she captured a French schooner and then struck an iceberg and sank. Cabalva is a story of “very bad discipline and very good luck”, as the survivors spent their time consuming beer, wine and brandy rescued from the wreck. Bound in contemporary tree calf with red morocco spine label. Front hinge split at bottom, minor scuffing. A Good copy. $300 |
| 67. | Figsbee, Alfonso. THE MARITIME FLAGS AND STANDARDS OF ALL NATIONS... NY 1856 Colored plates. 12mo. Unpaginated (about 65 pp.) Plates of Rogers signal flags and instructions for their use on naval and merchant vessels followed by about 60 pages of colored plates of flags of several hundred maritime nations. Partially disbound but complete, with original printed wrappers. $300 |
| 68. | Forster, Georg A VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, IN HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S SLOOP, RESOLUTION, COMMANDED BY CAPT. JAMES COOK, DURING THE YEARS 1772,3,4 AND 5... Lon. 1777. b/w folding map. 2 vols. xviii, 602 and 607 pp. "Johann Reinhold Forster and Johann Georg Adam Forster, father and son, accompanied Cook's second voyage as naturalists aboard the Resolution. It was intended that the elder Forster should write the official record of the voyage, but, because of a dispute with the Admiralty concerning his emoluments, the offer was withdrawn. The Forsters then set to work writing one of their own, issued by Georg. This is an important and necessary addition to Cook's voyages although the work has been criticized on the grounds of authorship, and a failure to acknowledge assistance derived from Cook's journal. Forster's work was published before the official account."—Hill p. 108. On this expedition Cook disproved the existence of a southern continent and was the first to cross the Antarctic Circle. See Spence, 464. Beddie, 1247. This is a clean copy in contemporary speckled calf, rebacked to match, with red spine labels lettered in gold. Very light offsetting to folding map, which is otherwise in excellent condition. $3500 |
| 69. | Fox, Uffa. SAIL AND POWER. NY. 1948. b/w plans and plates. 4to. v, 388 pp. American reprint edition of "A miscellany well worth reading."—Toy 1862. VG in dj and scarce enough thus. $100 |
| 70. | Fox, Uffa. UFFA FOX'S SECOND BOOK. NY. 1935. b/w plates, lines. 4to. xii, 376 pp. First American edition. Toy 1861. VG in chipped dj. $100 |
| 71. | Fulton, Robert. TORPEDO WAR, AND SUBMARINE EXPLOSIONS. NY. 1810. 4 (of 5) b/w plates. Oblong 4to. 57, (3) pp. First edition of a rare and important work by Fulton (1765-1815). This is his proposal to the American government to use torpedoes as a part of our national defense. He discusses and illustrates his experiments with torpedoes and sea mines, and makes a strong case for their effectiveness. "Although Fulton failed to persuade the United States Navy and Congress of the potential of the torpedo as a defensive weapon, his ideas ultimately revolutionized the strategy and tactics of naval warfare." Honeyman Sale 1384. This copy is bound in modern buckram and is lacking plate 1, a view of the brig Dorothea. The other 4 plates are present. Some staining and age toning, but a good copy overall. The plates are clean. A damaged copy with all plates present sold for $4500 in 1998. A complete copy sold for $8500 in 1996. $1250 |
| 72. | Gilpin, Bernard. SABLE ISLAND: ITS PAST HISTORY, PRESENT APPEARANCE, NATURAL HISTORY, ETC. Halifax, 1858. b/w plates. 34 (1) pp. Rare early history of this fabled strand. The "Graveyard of the Atlantic" was also home to a hardly little community as well as an interesting variety of flora and fauna. The shipwreck aspect also plays a part, with Joseph Darby’s account of the "Wreck of the Arno" included in the text. Quite scarce, not in Huntress. TPL 3808, Lande 272. Rebound in modern marbled boards, this copy has only two of three plates, but is otherwise in excellent condition. $225 |
| 73. | Gilpin, William MEMOIRS OF JOSIAS ROGERS, ESQ. COMMANDER OF HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP QUEBEC. Lon. 1808. b/w frontis. engraving. 184 pp. Rogers entered the Royal Navy in 1771 and served off Rhode Island. In 1776 he was shipwrecked in Delaware and taken prisoner by the Americans. He escaped and spent the next years marauding American shipping. He made lieutenant in 1778 and participated in the attack on Charleston in 1780. Captured again off New Jersey, and severely wounded, he was transferred to the North Sea where he made captain. He was flag captain to St. Vincent in 1790, and followed him to the West Indies aboard the Quebec in 1793. He died there of yellow fever in 1795, but he packed a great deal of adventure into his 25 year career, and this book recounts most of it. Much on the Revolutionary War and the West Indies. Howes G-191. Cundall, 1911. Original cloth, VG. $500 |
| 74. | Griffiths, John W. TREATISE ON MARINE AND NAVAL ARCHITECTURE... NY. 1850. b/w plates. 4to. 416 pp. Griffiths was an influential naval architect who was important in the development of clipper ship design. This work includes a history of shipbuilding and consideration of development in the design of many types of vessels including merchant and naval ships, with plans and offsets printed in 49 figures and plates. McDonald calls it, "an important American theoretical and practical work by the designer of Rainbow and Sea Witch." McDonald 307 (citing 1860 ed.), and Brewington says, "Griffith's works of great value. Contain many plates of lines, details, masting rules, tables of offsets, etc." Brewington, Bib. of Am. Shipbuilding. (citing 1851 ed.) Scott 713 (1857 ed.) This is the first edition, and scarce as such, not being noted in any of the above bibliographies. Bound in elaborate 19th gilt and blind stamped polished calf. Light rubbing, but a nice copy. $850 |
| 75. | Grosvenor, J. du V. MODEL YACHTS AND BOATS... Lon. n.d. b/w plates and ills. vi, 183 pp. Early and interesting, though not much interested in racing models. Design, construction and sailing. Illustrated ads and publisher’s catalog bound in at back. Potts & Croxon, 54. A clean fresh copy. $125 See Illustration |
| 76. | Gutzlaff, Charles. THE JOURNAL OF TWO VOYAGES ALONG THE COAST OF CHINA, IN 1831 & 1832... NY. 1833. xi, 322 pp. “The first in a Chinese junk; the second in the British Ship Lord Amherst.” Gutzlaff was a missionary, but was also typical of the sort of opportunist who clustered around the opium business in the old China trade. In fact, his second voyage was on an opium trading vessel, known as a “country ship” illegally selling opium down the coast of China. Gutzlaff accompanied the Brits as a translator, justifying his complicity with the pretty rationalization that the journey would be a good opportunity to preach the gospel and distribute religious pamphlets. His moral flaws aside, Gutzlaff was a smart and lucid observer, and this book offers great detail about China and the China Trade in the days leading up to the first Opium War. Scattered foxing, covers sunned, private library plate on front pastedown. $200 |
| 77. | Hall, W.H. and W.D. Bernard. NARRATIVE OF THE VOYAGES AND SERVICES OF THE NEMESIS. “Sir William Hutcheon Hall commanded the Nemesis during the Opium War operations. She was an iron paddle-steamer especially constructed at Liverpool for the East India Company, was fitted with a sliding keel, had a light draught, and carried comparatively heavy armament. She was the first iron steamer to round the Cape. In addition to abundant information on China, the voyage visited Madeira, St. Thomas and Prince Islands, Cape Town, Mozambique, the Comoro Islands, Ceylon, Penang, Singapore, Manila, and Macao. The appendix gives Chinese treaties.”—Hill p. 23. Original cloth, backstrip laid down in vol. 1. Covers worn, but text clean. Good copy of a scarce work on China during the first Opium War. First edition. $400 |
| 78. | Hassler, F. R. (Superintendent of the Survey). PRINCIPAL DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE SURVEY OF THE COAST OF THE UNITED STATES. NY. 1834-5. b/w fldg. map. 180, iv, 156, iii pp. “Introducing the best European practice in surveying, Hassler forged a union of applied and theoretical science... He was solicitous about training his ‘assistants’ (their formal designation) so that there would be a uniform practice in mapmaking, and he initiated studies in such affiliated subjects as tides, currents, and magnetism.” (Manning. U.S. Coast Survey. p.1) These two volumes bound together contain many of his letters and instructions from 1816-1835, and are a rare source of information on early U.S. Government cartography. Folding map, tipped in between volumes, shows triangulations for surveys made between 1817 and 1833. Bound in recent full leather with gilt spine lettering and renewed endpapers. VG. $500 |
| 79. | Herreshoff, L. Francis. CAPT. NAT HERRESHOFF. THE WIZARD OF BRISTOL. NY. (1953). b/w plates. 349 pp. “The life and achievements of Nathaniel Greene Herreshoff, together with an account of some of the yachts he designed.” The major biography. First Edition. VG,dj. $35 |
| 80. | Herreshoff, L. Francis. SENSIBLE CRUISING DESIGNS. Camden, ME. (1974) b/w plates. 393 pp. Herreshoff's small craft, from a double-paddle canoe to a 37-foot auxiliary ketch. VG, dj. $45 |
| 81. | Higgins, Joseph T. THE WHALE SHIP BOOK. NY. (1927) 4to. 36 pp. "The distinguishing details of old time whale ships with a complete description of a typical whaler and working plans of the famous Alice Mandell." With 2 folding plans in back pocket. First edition. VG $125 |
| 82. | Hocken, T. M. A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF LITERATURE RELATING TO NEW ZEALAND. (AND) SUPPLEMENT. Wellington. 1973, 1975. vii, 619; 73 pp. #461 in a limited edition reprinted from the 1909 work. Supplement is #951 of 1000. VG. $175 |
| 83. | Homer. THE ODYSSEY OF HOMER. Lon. 1924. Tipped in color plates. 4to. xxviii, 315 pp. Odyssey a maritime book? You bet! This is the translation of Butcher and Lang printed as a fine press book at the Chiswick Press for the Medici Society in London. It is illustrated with 20 tipped in color plates by Russell Flint. VG-Fine. $500 |
| 84. | Hosmer, George L. AN HISTORICAL SKETCH OF DEER ISLE, MAINE, WITH NOTICES OF ITS SETTLERS AND EARLY INHABITANTS. Bos. 1886. b/w frontis. 292 pp. Includes a list of men and vessels lost at sea and lots of incidental information on settlers, mariners, etc. VG $100 |
| 85. | Howe, Octavius T. and Frederick C. Matthews. AMERICAN CLIPPER SHIPS. 1833-1858. Salem. 1926, 1927. 2 vol. xiii, (372); ix, 780 pp. First editions of a standard reference. Alphabetical listing of clipper ships with histories and illus. Spines lightly sunned, else both vols. VG. $125 |
| 86. | (Huddart, Joseph) THE ORIENTAL NAVIGATOR. OR DIRECTIONS FOR SAILING TO AND FROM THE EAST INDIES... WITH AN APPENDIX CONTAINING A PARTICULAR ACCOUNT OF SEVERAL NEW TRACKS AND DISCOVERIES... TO WHICH IS ADDED THE INDIA OFFICERS AND TRADERS GUIDE IN PURCHASING DRUGS AND SPICES OF ASIA AND THE EAST INDIES; WITH PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS FOR THE CHOICE OF DIAMONDS... Phila. 1801. viii-560 pp. First American edition of the first American work on the Eastern trade routes, trading practices and goods. With sailing directions for every part of the route and comments by 18th century shipmasters and travelers who were familiar with those waters. The Trader's Guide includes descriptions of the many precious substances which comprised the Indies trade. Of storied scarcity. Not in Sabin. Ferguson 337a, citing only a book dealer's catalog and one location for this edition. The last few pages of this copy have been misbound, with pp. 545-552 bound at end and 561-566 not present but supplied in facsimile. Definitely a binder’s error, particular to this copy only. Text tanned but clean. Bound in original full leather with spine label. $1200 |
| 87. | Humane Society of Massachusetts. HISTORY OF THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF MASSACHUSETTS. Bos. 1845. 95 pp. List of life saving awards, members, rescues, lifeboats and stations, correspondence and general history of this organization, vital to American maritime commerce, founded in 1786. Original wraps. Two stab holes near spine, some cover staining and chipping. Scarce in the trade. $250 |
| 88. | Innes, A.D. THE MARITIME AND COLONIAL EXPANSION OF ENGLAND UNDER THE STUARTS. (1603-1714). Lon. n.d. b/w plates & maps. xii, 376 pp. Careful study of the birth of the East India Company and Britain’s naval might in relation to the work of Raleigh, Smith, Penn, Blake, the Earls of Clarendon and Shaftesbury and their ilk. VG $65 |
| 89. | Jack, D.R. ...HISTORY OF THE CITY AND COUNTY OF ST. JOHN. Saint John, NB 1883. b/w folding chart, plates. 175 pp. Discovery and aboriginals through 1860s. Reproductions of old maps. Sections on shipping and shipbuilding. Nice folding chart of St. John Harbor as frontispiece. VG $50 |
| 90. | Jacobsen, Anita. FROM SAIL TO STEAM. Staten Island, NY. 1972. 58 pp. “The story of Antonio Jacobsen, marine artist. An artist’s chronicle of the ships that sailed the seas from 1870 to 1920.” With about 50 color plates of Jacobsen's work. #793 in a limited edition of 1000. Signed by author. VG in dj with short tears. $100 |
| 91. | James, William. AN INQUIRY INTO THE MERITS OF THE PRINCIPAL NAVAL ACTIONS BETWEEN GREAT BRITAIN AND THE UNITED STATES... Halifax, N.S. 1816. folding tables. vi, 102 pp. "Comprising an account of all British and American ships of war, reciprocally captured and destroyed since the 18th of June 1812." James was a proctor in the Vice-Admiralty court in Jamaica. At the beginning of the War of 1812 he was detained as a prisoner for several months before escaping to Halifax in 1813. He certainly had cause to dislike the Americans, and as Smith notes, all his historical works are violently pro-British. In this work, by narrating and analyzing each naval encounter of the war, he "showed that the American frigates were larger, stouter and more heavily armed and more strongly manned than the English which they had captured; that the statements officially published in the United States were grossly inaccurate; and that the victories of the Americans were to be attributed, not to superior seamanship nor to superior courage, but to superior numerical force."—DNB. James' work caused much controversy when it was published. This is a first edition, preceding the later London printing. Howes J-53. Smith II 1187. VG in 19th century half morocco over marbled boards with wraps bound in. A Very nice copy of a rare book. $2000 |
| 92. | Johnson, Alfred. SHIPS AND SHIPPING... Salem, MA 1925. b/w plates. viii, 270 pp. “...A collection of pictures, including many American vessels, painted by Antoine Roux and his sons.” Approximately 200 plates of ships, plus portraits of the artists, engravings. VG $75 |
| 93. | Kent, Rockwell. ROCKWELL KENT'S GREENLAND JOURNAL. NY (1962) b/w ills., litho plates. 302 pp. First edition, #207 in a limited edition of 1000 with suite of six lithos, one of which is signed by Kent. About Fine condition, in slipcase. $300 |
| 94. | Keppel, Henry. A VISIT TO THE INDIAN ARCHIPELAGO, IN H.M.S. MAEANDER... Lon. 1853. tinted litho plates, fldg. map. 2 vols. xiv, 301; 286 pp. "Keppel was a British naval officer who had served in the Opium war, participated in the campaign against Borneo pirates in 1843-44... Keppel returned to the China Station in 1847, and was appointed to convey Sir James Brooke to Labuan, an island off Borneo... Keppel's book treats of the voyage to Labuan, incidents there, piracy in the south China sea, and gives a description of Manila." -Hill p. 162. Abbey, 550. Few light water stains, but VG, with 8 handsome litho plates clean. Rebound in half morocco over marbled boards. 2 vols. $500 |
| 95. | Kynett, Harold. COLLECTION OF KYNETT GIFT BOOKS. n.p. 1942-1961 b/w and color ills., plates. 9 vols. Various paginations (about 150-250 pp. each) These musings were intended as annual Christmas gifts from the Kynett family. They are nicely got up in book form, competently illustrated, and written with labored good humor by Kynett, a wealthy advertising man. Subject matter ranges from Philadelphia to European travels, with a yacht voyage thrown in and an almost interesting recital of his involvement with Mystic Seaport. I believe these books were issued from his retirement on Nantucket, but there is little Nantucket content in any of them. VG 9 books $75 |
| 96. | Lake Submarine Co. THE "ARGONAUT" HER EVOLUTION AND HISTORY. NY. (n.d. ie., 1898 and 1900) b/w ills. 2 vols. 16; 32 pp. Two iterations of publicity pieces intended to raise funds for this working submersible built by the famed Simon Lake Co. The first, shorter, pamphlet was published shortly after the vessel's construction in 1898. It has pictures and descriptions of the Argonaut, but is mostly speculative. The title page is inscribed "I went down in the Argonaut before I was married - Stewart Longfelt(?) shares in same & never received anything. W.W.P." The second pamphlet, longer and more detailed, displays a later model of the vessel, differently configured. Both made successful descents; neither seems to have accomplished much more. A long newspaper article from 1900 describes a test of the vessel. See Anderson 742 for the first pamphlet. The second is not recorded there. Both items in original wrappers; those on the first pamphlet are detached but present. $250 |
| 97. | Lecky, Halton Stirling. THE KING’S SHIPS. Lon. 1913 - 1914. b/w plates 4to. xii, 326; v, 369; vii, 392 pp. An Edwardian equivalent of our Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. “With the important historical episodes connected with the successive ships of the same name from remote times, and a list of names and services of some ancient war vessels... with over 2500 illustrations from old paintings, prints and models ” as well as photogravures of “modern” WW I era ships. A wonderful research tool. Unfortunately this is only the first three, of six volumes, running from Aboukir to Jupiter. These are in presentation half leather bindings, each volume signed by Lecky, and the first volume with a long inscription from him. Some binding wear. Contents clean and fresh. 3 vols. $500 |
| 98. | Ledyard, John. A JOURNAL OF CAPTAIN COOK’S LAST VOYAGE. Chicago. (1963) 207 pp. Facsimile reprint of this narrative, first published in Hartford CT. in 1783. Ledyard was an American among Cook’s crew, and his work aroused a great deal of interest in this country. VG, dj. $50 |
| 99. | Lindley, Captain Augustus. A CRUISE IN CHINESE WATERS. Lon. n.d. b/w ills. 256 pp. Undated, but a late 19th century collection of adventure stories relating to Chinese treaty Port in the days after the Opium Wars, and the China Sea. Some very interesting and realistic illustrations help visualize these exotic locations. Remains of a private library stick on front pastedown, else VG. $50 See Illustration |
| 100. | Lindsey, Benjamin J. OLD MARBLEHEAD SEA CAPTAINS AND THE SHIPS IN WHICH THEY SAILED. Marblehead, 1915. Color, b/w plts. 137 pp. Histories of vessels and their captains gleaned from custom house, insurance companies, logbooks, newspapers, histories and manuscript sources throughout New England. A crisp, clean copy. VG $125 |