item number |
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| 26. | Delessert, Eugene. VOYAGES DANS LES DEUX OCÉANS ATLANTIQUE ET PACIFIQUE 1844 A 1847. BRÉSIL, ÉTATS-UNIX, CAP DE BONNE-ESPÉRANCE, NOUVELLE HOLLANDE, NOUVELLE - ZÉLANDE, TAITI, PHILIPPINES, CHINE, JAVA, INDES ORIENTALES, ÉGYPTE. b/w plates, folding charts. Paris. 1848. to. (6) 326, (1) pp First, and apparently only, edition of a very scarce book. It features 16 plates, 2 folding charts and many illustrations in text, some full-page. “This is an important French illustrated book. Most of the main parts of the Orient and Polynesia, as well as Australia, were visited and reported upon by this observant traveler. This appears to be the only edition of this title.” - Hill p. 401. “During his sojourn in New South Wales the author took great interest in sport. He recounts his experiences and observations.” - Ferguson 4751. Bagnall 1578 (noting that Delessert’s information on New Zealand is second-hand). Borba p. 253. Griffin, Philippines, p. 115. O’Reilly & Reitman, Tahiti, 1073, with a long note, and pointing out that Delessert met the painter Charles Giraud. Pardo de Tavera 823. Contemporary cloth-backed boards, a little light foxing, but a very good copy, with the half-title. $800 See Illustration |
| 27. | Department of State. A REGISTER OF OFFICERS AND AGENTS, CIVIL, MILITARY AND NAVAL, IN THE SERVICE OF THE UNITED STATES... 1816. Wash. 1816. 88, 88 pp. “Together with the names, force and condition, of all the ships and vessels belonging to the united states, and when and where built.” A snapshot of the Navy at the close of the War of 1812. Information on personnel includes where stationed. Only 500 copies were printed. S&S 39584. Worn calf, hinges loose. Text clean. $350 |
| 28. | Derrick, Charles. MEMOIRS OF THE RISE AND PROGRESS OF THE ROYAL NAVY. Lon. 1806. b/w frontis. to, ii, 309, (19), (6) pp. A chronological and statistical look at the Royal Navy up to and including Nelson’s time. Cowie, in his bibliography on Nelson, says of this work, “valuable for non-operational subjects... contains useful statistics.” Cowie 361. A nice clean copy bound in calf over marbled boards with spine label. Covers show some rubbing, but are quite presentable. $450 |
| 29. | Dewhurst, Henry William. THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE ORDER CETACEA, AND THE INHABITANTS OF THE ARCTIC REGIONS. Lon. 1834. b/w plates. xx, 331 pp. As well as presenting the natural history of the order, Dewhurst remarks on the methods and economy of the whale fishery (p. 42-85). With 24 plates, including engraved dedication leaf. Full page lithographs of whales and some other marine species. Jenkins p. 94. Allen 811. Contemporary half calf, a fine copy, with only traces of light foxing. $1300 See Illustration |
| 30. | Dexter, Elisha. NARRATIVE OF THE LOSS OF WHALING BRIG WILLIAM AND JOSEPH, OF MARTHA'S VINEYARD... Bos. 1848. b/w wood engraved plates. 52 pp. “... the sufferings of the crew for seven days... on a raft in the Atlantic Ocean; with an appendix containing some remarks on the whaling business, and description of the mode of killing and taking care of whales.” The first edition of this work is unobtainable and excessively rare. This is the second edition, also rare, of a fascinating shipwreck narrative, which includes a synopsis of the author’s whaling career. Dexter’s ship was wrecked in the Atlantic. Although the crew was saved, the ship was lost. It was uninsured, and Dexter wrote his pamphlet in an attempt to recoup his losses. Huntress 357 C. Jenkins p. 94, citing this second “enlarged and improved” edition. One spot on title page else a VG copy in new wrappers, chemise and slipcase. The five wood engraved plates are clean and fresh. $1250 See Illustration |
| 31. | Eldridge, George. GEO. W. ELDRIDGE’S HARBOR CHART-BOOK. NEW YORK TO BOSTON. Bos. n.d. b/w charts with spot coloring Folio, unpaginated. 57 full page coasting and harbor charts including Barnstable, Chatham, New Bedford, Cuttyhunk, Woods Hole, Vineyard Haven, Edgartown, Nantucket, Hyannis, Provincetown, Boston and New York. Bound in original cloth over heavy boards. Lights marked in red. According to the contents page this copy lacks a coasting chart of the waters south of Cape Ann and a harbor chart of New Haven. All charts clean and fresh, in classic Eldridge style, with soundings and coastal details. $1000 |
| 32. | Ellis, Henry. (and) John White. JOURNAL OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE LATE EMBASSY TO CHINA; ... (AND) HISTORY OF A VOYAGE TO THE CHINA SEA. Phila. (and) Bos. 1818 (and) 1823. b/w fldg maps. plates 282 pp. (and) (2, x) 376 pp. Ellis’s Journal, first published in London in 1817, is the official account of Lord Amherst’s embassy to China, on which Ellis was the third commissioner. Apart from the substantial Chinese information, it includes accounts of Manila, Batavia, the Cape of Good Hope, St. Helena, and of the shipwreck of the Alceste. The White narrative is a rare book, and an important one. White sailed from Salem in 1819 on a joint venture with the brig Franklin and the ship Marmion to Cochin China. They were the first American vessels to ascend the Donnai, and spent considerable time in Saigon. A great deal of information on Vietnam and the Vietnamese, and as well on Batavia and the Philippines. Four of the plates depict Vietnamese small craft. The map is a detailed map of the Dong Nai and its newly-dug canal: “an accurate mapping of the tricky system of waterways was a key to Saigon-based interests hoping to tap the potential of the Mekong.” - Suárez, Early Mapping of Southeast Asia, p. 253 (and the map shown in fig. 158). Griffin p. 22. Smith, American Travelers Abroad W65. Not in Paullin, American Voyages to the Orient. The two titles bound together in contemporary mottled calf, gilt, a marginal stain beginning at about a third of the way through the second title, getting wider towards the back, still an attractive volume. 2 vols. in one. $1250 See Illustration |
| 33. | Ephemera. CLIPPER SHIP SAILING CARD - SHOOTING STAR The Shooting Star was built in Portsmouth, NH. She was 182 feet long and displaced 947 tons. She was captured and burned by the Chickamaga in 1863. This card, issued in 1859 to advertise her May 14th sailing from New York to San Francisco, is the largest clipper ship sailing card ever printed. It is also one of the rarest, existing in only two public collections. It measures 22.5 x 14.5 cm. - nearly 9 x 5 3/4 inches. It has two faint vertical creases which do not mar the integrity of the printed surface, and is overall in excellent condition, showing no other chips or folds. Rare, not in the Siegel sale. $7000 |
| 34. | Ephemera. PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL FROM MAIL ORDER SEAFOOD DISTRIBUTOR CROWN PACKING CO. Ten items from this Gloucester-based distributor of mail order canned and dried seafood - 1904. Contents include two letters from company to customer, two order blanks and envelopes, two catalogs, and two mailing envelopes. Letters, envelopes and catalogs are illustrated. $125 |
| 35. | Ephemera. SKETCH OF THE SIMS-EDISON ELECTRIC TORPEDO, HISTORICAL, DESCRIPTIVE AND ILLUSTRATIVE, OF ITS EFFICIENCY FOR HARBOR AND COAST DEFENSE, AND ITS APPLICABILITY TO NAVAL WARFARE... NY. (1886) b/w plates and diagrams. 27 pp. The proposal is for a 28 foot long copper torpedo powered and guided via wires from a station or ship. It could move at 10-12 mph. and carried a 200-400 pound explosive payload. The pamphlet includes results of successful test runs, lists of corporate officers and trustees, and a stunning silver and copper colored folding lithograph of the “Electrical Fish Torpedo.” Edison served as consulting electrician and chief Trustee, and it is easy to see where his expertise came into play, since the torpedo was powered by “a dynamo-electric machine on shore or shipboard. Minor chipping and soiling. A Good copy of a rare pamphlet. $750 |
| 36. | Erskine, John Elphinstone. JOURNAL OF A CRUISE AMONG THE ISLANDS OF THE WESTERN PACIFIC. Lon. 1853. Color and b/w plates, fldg. map. vi, 488 pp. "Captain Erskine, in 1849, sailed from Russell, New Zealand, and reached Niue or Savage Island. He visited... the Samoan Islands. Next Vavau, Lifuka, and Tonga-tabu... then Fiji, the New Hebrides, New Caledonia, and Port Jackson."—Hill p. 98. Abbey 602. NMM Cat. 681. Bound in full calf with gilt spine decorations and spine label. Minor wear, still a handsome copy. $650 |
| 37. | (Esquemelin, Alexandre Olivier.) THE HISTORY OF THE BUCANIERS OF AMERICA... Lon. 1704. b/w plates, charts, many folding. (2), 180, 180, (12), 204 pp. Third ed. Nice early edition of one of the great piracy accounts of all time, and a source for writers from Defoe’s day to the present. The original four books are combined into two parts in this edition. The third part of this work is a journal of a voyage into the South Seas by Ravenau de Lussan. The fourth part is the relation of Sieur de Montaubon’s voyage. Some very interesting marginal notations in a distinctive 18th century hand. Sabin 23485, citing changes made in this edition. Gosse p. 37. This edition not in Hill or NMM Catalog. Scattered light foxing and tanning. Bound in 18th century full paneled calf with spine label. Front hinge weak. A very Good copy overall. $2500 |
| 38. | Fincham, John. ON MASTING SHIPS & MAST MAKING. Lon. 1829. b/w folding plates. Sm. 4to. xiv, 219 pp. “Giving some of the principles... with the practical operation of mast making.” This was the standard for the 19th century. Fincham worked and taught at the Portsmouth Dock Yard and his text was intended for students at the Royal Naval Collage. “His pupils became influential as the period progressed.” McDonald 302. Scarce in this first edition. Not in Scott. From the collection of Mario Witt, with his bookplate. Minor foxing but a very presentable copy. Four folding plates at back are clean. Bound in later calf over old marbled boards, with spine label. $600 |
| 39. | Fischer, Katrina Sigsbee and Alex A. Hurst. ANTON OTTO FISCHER MARINE ARTIST. Sussex. 1977. b/w and color plates. xxvi, 259 pp. Biography of this 20th century marine artist and illustrator, with a study of his work. Well illustrated with over 100 examples of his work in color and b/w. $125 |
| 40. | Flayderman, E. Norman. SCRIMSHAW AND SCRIMSHANDERS. WHALES AND WHALEMEN. New Milford, CT (1972) 4to. (16), 291, (15) pp. The first complete and still the best book on scrimshaw. First trade ed. VG, dj. $300 |
| 41. | Gardner, Arthur H. WRECKS AROUND NANTUCKET. Nantucket. n.d. (1915). b/w plates. 176 pp. Originally published in 1877. Revised in 1915. Crosby p. 171. VG $75 |
| 42. | Gayangos, don Pascual de (translator). THE FIFTH LETTER OF HERNAN CORTES TO THE EMPEROR CHARLES V, CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF HIS EXPEDITION TO HONDURAS. Lon. 1868. xvi, 156 pp. First Series Hakluyt publication. Ex-lib. Call numbers on spine, trace of card envelope on back endpaper, else VG. $150 |
| 43. | Glascock, Capt. W. N. THE NAVAL SERVICE OR OFFICER’S MANUAL. Lon. 1836. b/w plates, ills. vii, 336; 340 pp. Rare first edition of a training manual that later appeared as “the Naval Officer’s Manual.” Glascock was a well-traveled naval officer who devoted his periods on half-pay to a literary career. Prior to this work he wrote 4 fictional books about naval service which the DNB calls “stupid enough... but... interesting as social sketches of naval life.” The present work “proved, as it was meant to be, a useful manual for young officers.” It was successful enough to pass through several editions until 1850. It describes in detail, and with occasional illustrations, the shipboard tasks of each rank in the service - gunner, carpenter, boatswain, surgeon, all get their instructions, as do captain and lieutenant, etc. A highly detailed look a naval life in the first part of the 19th century. Quite scarce. With the bookplate of Capt. W.H. Hall, who eventually became an Admiral. 2 vols. bound together in half calf over marbled boards with spine label. VG $650 |
| 44. | Godfrey, Edward K. THE ISLAND OF NANTUCKET, WHAT IT WAS AND WHAT IT IS. BEING A COMPLETE INDEX AND GUIDE TO THIS NOTED RESORT. Bos. 1882. fldg. maps. xi, 365 pp. plus 12 pp. adverts. “[In] no sense a history, [nor]...a scientific or literary work, it being merely a truthful guide to the island.” There is plenty of historical detail about distinguished Nantucketers, characteristics of the people, and others, as well as articles on “botany, conchology, and geology.” Crosby p. 172. First edition. Paper glued to blanks, with rear blank sticking to back board, else VG. $175 |
| 45. | Gould, Roland F. THE LIFE OF GOULD, AN EX-MAN-OF-WAR’S-MAN... Claremont, NH. 1867. b/w frontis. 12mo. xii, 239 pp. Life before the mast, “including the three year’s cruise of the line of battle ship Ohio, on the Mediterranean station, under the veteran Commodore Hull.” Much travel, several floggings recorded. Smith II, 2464. Minor spotting, VG. A clean bright copy. $250 |
| 46. | Grant, Gordon. SAIL HO! NY n.d. 4to Duotone plates. 126 pp. First edition of Grant’s inimitable drawings of life under sail. This copy is from the library of Clifford Ashley, with his initials and bookplate. Ashley has also made several notes in the text, some pointing out errors that Grant had made, and listed these in his hand on a note card, laid in. A nice association of two great author-illustrators. VG in dj. $150 |
| 47. | Grant, Gordon. THE LIFE & ADVENTURES OF JOHN NICOL MARINER. NY. (1936). vi, 214 pp. This copy of Gordon Grant’s edition of the famous narrative has a striking red and black ink drawing by Grant of an 18th-century mariner (Nicol, perchance?) on the front blank, which is signed and numbered. Deckled edges, VG in cream cloth. $200 |
| 48. | Guignes, Chrétien Louis Joseph de. VOYAGES À PEKING, MANILLE ET L'ÎLE DE FRANCE, FAITS DANS L'INTERVALLE DES ANNÉES 1784 À 1801. Paris. 1808. Atlas of 97 b/w plates and maps. 3 vols. [4], lxiii, [1], 439; [4], 476; [4], 488 pp. plus folio atlas [4] pp. + 97 plates and maps, some folding, on 65 leaves. First Edition. An account of de Guignes’ journey from Canton to Peking and back, as well as his extended stay in China as French attaché there, with observations on Chinese history, society and culture, geography, economics, and manufacturing. Chrétien Louis Joseph de Guignes (1759-1845), son of the noted sinologist Joseph de Guignes, was the author of a large French-Chinese-Latin dictionary, also printed by the Imprimerie Impériale, in 1813. Includes as well accounts of the Philippines and Mauritius. The Atlas contains nearly a hundred views of Chinese architecture, gardens, festivities (including an wonderful night-view of a Harvest celebration), funerary processions, theater, markets, lakes, Chinese junks, rickshaws, pagodas, military costumes, water-wheels and mills, anglers, tombs and graveyards, flowers, mountains, gods and demons. There is a full-page engraving which depicts Chinese musical notation, and large folding maps of the area surrounding Canton and Peking, Macao and environs, Manila, and the Philippine Islands. Cordier, Sinica, 2351. Bound in contemporary half morocco, red and black marbled boards, fine. Atlas: folio, 43.2 cm. Contemporary straight-grained red morocco, terra-cotta boards, inner hinges tender, covers a bit stained, extremities rubbed, some foxing, especially to margins. A married set, but not unhappily so. $5500 See Illustration |
| 49. | Hale, P.M. THE WOODS AND TIMBERS OF NORTH CAROLINA. Raleigh. 1883. Folding color map. 272 pp. “A compilation from the botanical and geological reports of Drs. Curtis, Emmons and Kerr; to which are added information obtained from the census bureau and accurate reports from the several counties.” Much here to interest the historian of ship building. VG $125 |
| 50. | Hamilton, Edward. THE LIFE OF PAUL JONES. Aberdeen. 1848. 304 pp. First serious biography of Jones. VG in original boards with gilt lettering on spine. $125 |