item number |
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| 61.. | Scoresby, William. JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE TO THE NORTHERN WHALE-FISHERY... Edinburgh.. 1823. b/w folding plates, maps. xliii, 472 pp. First edition of an important early book on whaling and on Greenland. “Contains an account of cruise in the Baffin... 1822, in Greenland Sea... whaling in waters off east Greenland, exploration of the Scoresby Sound...”—Arctic Bib 15614. Jenkins p. 144. Melville had a high opinion of Scoresby... “On the separate subject of the Greenland or right whale, he is the best existing authority.” This is the copy of noted whaling collector Barbara Johnson, with her book mark. Bound in gilt half calf over marbled boards. $1000 See Illustration |
| 62.. | Sherburne, Hermann. ADVENTURES OF TWO YOUNG MEN. Newburyport. 1874. 23 pp. The two young men of the title set out from Georgetown, Mass. for the west country in 1872. The narrator winds up flatboating from Cinncinnati to New Orleans. He gives a good description of life aboard and of various river scenes and Civil War battlegrounds they passed, including Island No. 10 “which... I was told had been partially washed away since.” Down to Natchez, Bayou Sara, and Waterloo, well-described all the way, then Baton Rouge and New Orleans, where he is reunited with his friend. They find work at a plantation called Sea Glen along the Pearl River in Mississippi, then return home, having spent 11 months on the road. A fresh and informative account of a coming-of-age trip down the Mississippi. And cerifiably rare, with only one library on Worldcat holding this item. Self wraps, light foxing to front wrap, otherwise fresh and clean. $450 See Illustration |
| 63. | Smith, Yvonne Brault. JOHN HALEY BELLAMY, CARVER OF EAGLES. (Portsmouth 1982) b/w plates. xii, 103 pp. First publication of Portsmouth Marine Society. Biography of a famous and tragic American woodcarver. Quite scarce, especially in VG condition with dj, as this copy is. $150 |
| 64. | Snow, Edward Rowe. THE DRAMA OF NEW ENGLAND IN CHARTS, MAPS AND MEMORABILIA. n.p. n.d. color and b/w maps. This portfolio contains 24 maps and illustrations, a photocopied pamphlet, and wood chips from 19 ships and Old Minot’s Light. The collection is comprehensive, and was one of Snow’s most time-consuming ventures. Snow explains each of the objects with stories of the vessels and areas, and how the bits of history came into his possession. Signed by Snow. VG. $450 |
| 65. | Sparks, Jared. THE LIFE OF JOHN LEDYARD, THE AMERICAN TRAVELER. Hilliard and Brown. Cambridge. 1829. xi, 310 pp. Ledyard accompanied Cook on his third voyage as a corporal of marines. He published an account of his voyage in 1783. This and his later adventures are the stuff of novels, though none has been written as far as I know. Second edition. Original cloth over boards. Bookplate of Lawrence Academy “Presented by Amos Lawrence.” Binding worn, front hinge nearly detached. Text clean and sewing tight. $200 |
| 66. | Starbuck, Alexander. HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN WHALE FISHERY FROM ITS EARLIEST INCEPTION TO THE YEAR 1876. Wash. 1878. b/w plates. ix, 50, 1029 pp. This is the first appearance of Starbuck’s great history. He reprinted it later himself and it has reappeared several times since then. In this present form it occupies about 780 pages of the Report of the Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries for 1875-76, with linecut plates of whales and whaling tools. It is one of the key books on American whaling and the information it contains has remained essential. Forster 148. Jenkins p. 147. Howes S-892. Bound in original government cloth. Light binding wear else a nice copy. $450 |
| 67. | Thornton, John Wingate. THE LANDING AT CAPE ANNE... Bos. 1854. b/w folding frontis. and map. xii, 84 pp. “The charter of the first permanent colony on the territory of the Massachusetts Company. Now discovered and first published from the original manuscript. With an inquiry into its authority and a history of the colony 1624-1628.” Scarce. Howes T-226. A very nice copy in original cloth, inscribed by Wingate. $125 |
| 68.. | Tirion, Isaak (editor). HEDENDAAGSCHE HISTORIE, OF TEGENWOORDIGE STAAT VAN AMERIKA. Amsterdam. 1766-1769. b/w folding engraved plates and maps. 3 volumes, 676; 685; 620 pp. “The history of the present state of America embracing chiefly notions of those settled by Spain, mainly in North and South America.” The last volume relates to Louisiana, Canada and the countries near Hudson’s Bay, with early maps of New Orleans and Quebec. Text in Dutch. ., 3 engraved title pages, 2 folding engraved plates, 23 folding maps. Sabin 31212-“The numerous maps and plates are well executed.” Howes H-394 (A double a rating.). Bound in contemporary vellum. All maps and text clean, first map in volume one is poorly folded, otherwise a very good copy. $2000 See Illustration |
| 69. | Townsend, Ebenezer. THE DIARY OF MR. EBENEZER TOWNSEND, JR., THE SUPERCARGO ON THE SEALING SHIP “NEPTUNE,” ON HER VOYAGE TO THE SOUTH PACIFIC AND CANTON. New Haven. 1888. 115 pp. This scarce and little-known narrative is part of “Papers of the New Haven Colony Historical Society. Vol. IV.” It was later reprinted by the Hawaiian Historic Society.. See Hill 1710 - “Between August 12 and August 31, 1798, he made visits to Puna, Hilo, Hamakua, Oaho, Honolulu and Kuai. He describes King Kamehameha I.” With sealing bookplate of orithologist and author Robert Cushman Murphy. VG $150 |
| 70. | Tredgold, Thomas. TRAITE DES MACHINES A VAPEUR... Paris 1828. b/w plates. xxx, 558; 54 pp. “Et de leur applications a la navigation, aux mines, aux manufactures...” First French translation of this important work on steam engines from the English edition of 1827. Translated with notes and additions by F.N. Mellet. Polak 9234. Two volumes in original wrappers as issued. With 24 plates, many double page. Edges are untrimmed, and are rather dust soiled, but text and plates are clean with wide margins. Unusual to see early works in flawless original wrappers. $950 |
| 71.. | van YK, Cornelius. DE NEDERLANSCHE SCHEEPS-BOUW-KONST... Amsterdam. 1697. b/w plates. Small folio. (12) 364, (8) pp. First edition of an early and important work on shipbuilding. After an initial survey of the history of this art, Yk concerns himself with contemporary methods, and his work is a rich repository of information about marine architecture, rigging, and the fabrication of various types of craft and related fittings. Frontispiece engraving by J. Luykens shows ships on the ways. Other plates show ships, tools, designs, hull details and launchings. With 23 plates of which 11 are double page. First edition, second issue, which does not include dedication present in the first issue. Worn binding with marbled boards and rubbed calf spine. Text in fine condition. Very scarce. $10000 See Illustration |
| 72. | Wadsworth, Edward and Berard Windeler. SAILING SHIPS AND BARGES OF THE WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN AND ADRIATIC SEAS. Lon. 1926. Hand colored engravings. 4to. 79 pp. A series of copper plates engraved in the line manner by Edward Wadsworth and colored by hand with an introduction and brief description by Bernard Windeler. No. 405 of a numbered limited edition of 450 copies printed at the Curwen Press on Zander’s handmade paper. 16 handcolored plates, 1 map. A fine copy, but slipcase is cracked at seams. $950 |
| 73. | Webb, William H. THIS BOOK CONTAINS PLANS OF WOODEN VESSELS SELECTED AS TYPES FROM ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY OF VARIOUS KINDS AND DESCRIPTIONS, FROM A FISHING SMACK TO THE LARGEST CLIPPER AND VESSELS OF WAR, BOTH SAIL AND STEAM, BUILT BY WM. H. WEBB, IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK, FROM THE YEAR 1840 TO THE YEAR 1869. (N.Y. n.d. ca. 1895.) b/w plates, many multi-sheet.. Oblong folio, 2 vols. unpaginated. William Webb was one of the great American shipbuilders. Though best known for his clipper ships he produced a wide range of vessels and also founded Webb Academy and Webb Institute. McDonald says of this work, “The great American shipbuilder presenting his and his father’s (Isaac) wooden ship designs. A treasure trove of authentic mid-19th Century plans.” Brewington calls it the “best American collection of lines in book form.” It is a spectacular production. The page size is 15 1/2 inches high, with some plans extending out to 6 feet in length. Volume I shows 33 vessels in 62 plates. Among the vessel plans and lines are the pilot boat John McKean, schooner Vigilant, steamer California and clipper Young America. Volume II contains plans of 32 vessels in 61 plates. Vessels depicted include the steamers W.H. Webb, San Francisco, and Sacramento. See DAB, McDonald 347 and Brewington “Bib. of Am. Works on Shipbuilding.” This set rarely appears on the market. Some copies, particularly those distributed to libraries, had a portrait of Webb in Vol I. This set does not. Its former owner has bound it in boards fastened by a post and screw arrangement, whereby individual plans can be removed from the volume for individual study. A few plans are chipped on upper or lower edges, not affecting image. One set of lines, of the Tennessee, has spilt at the folds, but another original of the same sheet has been inserted. Overall the set is in Very Good condition in early 20th century boards showing light wear. $3750 |
| 74.. | Willyams, Rev. Cooper. A VOYAGE UP THE MEDITERRANEAN IN HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP THE SWIFTSURE. Lon. 1802. 43 hand-colored engravings. 4to. xxiii, 309 pp. First edition. “One of the Squadron under the Command of Rear-Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson... With a Description of the Battle of the Nile on the First of August 1798, and a detail of events that occured subsequent to the battle in various parts of the Mediterranean.” Cooper was the Swiftsure’s chaplain. His account is the earliest and most authoritative narration of the Battle of the Nile, and this work is a key Nelson item. This is the smaller version of the work, which was also issued in an elephant folio edition in the same year. Plates in various copies appear to be colored, uncolored and tinted. According to Abbey “It seems likely that the book was available colored or uncolored in both small and large paper.” The plates in this copy are colored, making for a magnificent presentation with some very minor offsetting and foxing. An ex-library copy with stamps on versos of plates. Bound in 3/4 calf over marbled boards, gilt devices on spine. $4500 See Illustration |
| 75. | Woodard, Captain David. THE NARRATIVE OF CAPTAIN DAVID WOODARD AND FOUR SEAMEN, WHO LOST THEIR SHIP WHILE IN A BOAT AT SEA... x Lon. 1805. b/w frontis. plates and charts. xxxii, 236 pp. Woodard was sent off in a boat in the Straits of Macassar to ask for food from another ship. He was separated from his own ship, captured by natives on the Celebes, and after 2 1/2 years reached Macassar. The governor there sent him to Batavia where he found an American ship . “This narrative contains a good deal of material about the life of the natives of the Celebes, but probably the most valuable portion of the book is the collection of narratives of shipwrecks and disasters at sea.”—Huntress 114C. Hill 1912. This is the second edition, which differs from the first in that the text is reset onto few pages (236 vs. 252 pp.) and the appendix listing shipwrecks is somewhat shortened. However, it does contain Bligh’s narrative on pp. 166-174. An interesting variant. Bound in full calf, backstrip professionally laid down VG $450 |
| 76.. | Manuscript CHINA TRADE LETTERS AND ACCOUNTS. COPY BOOK OF HENRY HOLLINGSWORTH (?) CANTON, 1811-1812. Folio, unpaginated. About 65 pp. manuscript entries. Though these copies are unsigned, they are probably by Henry Hollingsworth, supercargo on the Lancaster, a ship owned by Philadelphia China Trade merchant Thomas P. Cope. The first letter is addressed to Cope and announces the safe arrival of the Lancaster in Canton in December 28, 1811. Hollingsworth continues, “I find all the articles of export to America scarce & high - Hoqua from his great command of money is enabled to make his silk engagements on better terms as to price quality and time.” He goes on to discuss commercial possibilities in the near future. China ware is very scarce because of the pressure of exports, tea is possible but out of season, bulk goods such as cotton scarce, etc. Other letters advise Willing & Francis, and Chancellor, Brown & Hall, also in Philadelphia, of the same - “I am holding back in my purchases, fully persuaded that the China New Year... will enable me to purchase... (he lists goods and prices).” He writes Baring to secure credit and generally conveys a sense of ceaseless activity through 1812, as he attempts to secure tea, china ware and silks for future delivery at the best possible prices, all the while keeping his bosses in Philadelphia appraised of current conditions and the state of their finances. Information gushes from his pen. Consider this typically stream of consciousness passage on pepper - “During the Embargo pepper was among the articles speculated on and got into a few hands, there happened to be a large quantity in the country at this time and when the fever of speculation abated it among other articles found its level the consignments we was then holding sought better chances in foreign countries and a great deal of what was then on hand had been shipped off previously to my leaving America the fall in its value which accompanied the removal of the Embargo deterred any new adventures and I learn on the authority of English captains from Sumatra that no American has been on that coast this season This necessity and these reasons determined me to embrace the speculation and I had absolutley contracted with Hoqua to take as much as I might want at 10 dollars per picul.” By the middle of March, 1812 he is concluding his business for the season. He explains to Cope the reasons for various recent purchases and then states “I have endeavored so to apportion the different species of goods as that the freight or profit taken on the whole collectively (estimated on the data of my former calculations) should not fall short of the whole freight or profit which the total funds if invested in Nankins would have produced.” He then gives tables actual investments on various commodities and shows how these validate his actions. This the level of detail - in 43 folio pages of letters - in Hollingsworth communicates the activites of one season’s trading in Canton. At the back of the book there are about 20 pages of accounts running from January 1, 1811 to March 18, 1812 - the same time period covered by the letters. Hollingsworth, Hoqua, Mowqua, Tinqua, China Trade captain Thomas Robinson, American resident William Bull, Stephen Girard, George Biddle (whose death in 1811 and several others are mentioned in the accounts and the letters. See DNB and Philadelphians and the China Trade for more information on these people. A highly detailed look at the commercial aspects of the American China Trade. Pages clean, writing legible. Bound in 1/4 calf over plain boards, rather worn and chipped. $2000 See Illustration |