Maritime

Cook’s Final Voyage – The Journal of Midshipman George Gilbert – Introduced by Christine Holmes.

Published by Brian Clouston, Caliban Books in 1982, a first edition in this form. Also published in Hawaii.

Large octavo, 158 pages, nicely illustrated. A near fine copy.

Yet another source of exceptional information on the third, final and fateful voyage of James Cook. Due to James Cook’s discipline the Midshipman on his voyages kept impeccable journals. With a focus on the Central Pacific and up into the Arctic searching for the North-West Passage from the other side.

The Third Voyage through Gilbert’s Eyes

$40.00

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The Henty Journals – A Record of Farming, Whaling and Shipping in Portland Bay, 1834-1839. – Lynnette Peel

A super copy of this first edition well produced book published by The Miegunyah Press in 1966.

Large octavo, 297 pages, nicely illustrated. A fine copy and as always with the Miegunyah Press nothing spared, printed on Pageantry Text Creme paper, limited to a thousand copies.

The Henty family left Sussex in England in the 1820’s to make their life in Australia. With farms first in Western Australia and Tasmania they settled at Portland Bay in Victoria. Edward Henty is recognised as the first permanent settler in Victoria. Diaries written by Edward and his brother Francis are a prized possession of the State Library of Victoria. They form the basis of this book. Brother Thomas settled at Launceston in Tasmania and bred Marino sheep often selling to the Macarthurs of Camden. Not restricting their activities to the land they undertook maritime and whaling adventures and sadly had a hand in reducing the population of the Southern Right Whale.

The Diaries of the brothers Henty – a genuine glimpse into life in the early 19thC.

$80.00

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Captain Caution – Kenneth Roberts – First UK Edition 1949

First UK edition published by Collins, London in 1949.

American historical adventure writer Roberts highly regarded at the time compared, by some, with Dumas and Victor Hugo … high praise indeed.

Octavo, 255 pages with the super period dust jacket. A fine copy the condition surprising considering age and time of printing.

In the main concerning the American War of Independence. Our hero Captain Marvin stocks it up the British but not without a period of imprisonment in the hulks … escapes and takes a prize in true Hornblower fashion. He escapes to France and is victorious in a thrilling naval battle off Madeira.

Captain Caution is not so Cautious.

$30.00

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Polar Gleams – An Account of a Voyage on the Yacht “Blencathra” [An Arctic Voyage] – Helen Peel – First Edition 1894

The author Helen Peel was the granddaughter of Sir Robert Peel, twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

With a Preface by Arctic voyager The Marquess of Dufferin and Ava and contributions by Joseph Wiggins and Frederick G. Jackson.

A first edition published in the same year in the UK and the USA. This is the American first by McClurg, Chicago, 1894.

Large Octavo, 211 pages, cloth covered boards with bright silver gilt titling to front and spine, with walrus head design on spine. Burgundy end paper, portrait frontispiece with signature facsimile. 15 other illustrations and two maps – the Sea Route to Siberia and the Great Siberian Railway. Re-cased expertly by Roger Perry, original spine laid down, very clean inside a nice copy of a very rare item.

The acknowledged adventurer the Marquess of Dufferin was the godfather of the adventurous Helen Peel. He admired her vigour and abilities in putting together this account of the Arctic voyage of the Blencathra that he provided his esteemed and thoughtful Preface.

From Britain through the northern Norwegian waters, the Barents and Kara Seas, up the Yenisei River to Gol’chikha and back to Archangel in the farthest reaches of Siberia… much interaction with Laps and Samoyeds.

The Blencathra (then named HMS Newport) was built in 1867 in the Pembroke Dockyard. Part of the Philomel class – a wooden screw gun vessel, with a single two-cylinder single expansion, single screw steam engine. She was the first ship to pass through the Suez Canal. She was bought by F.W. Laybourne-Popham in 1890 as a yacht. He had an interest in Arctic waters and appointed Joseph Wiggins as Captain for a voyage, the subject of this book. The whole exercise turned into a commercial one with the organisation of support vessels and the transport of rails for the Trans-Siberian Railway. Later the yacht was used by William Speirs Bruce and new owner Major Andrew Coats to cruise the Arctic as far as Novaya Zemyla and Kolguyev and then Spitzbergen. It was later purchased by the Russians who lost it near Franz Josef Land.

Rare Arctic Voyage – Unusual Author and Pedigree – Hard Working and Fated Polar Vessel.

$260.00

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Australian Maritime Archaeology – A Collection of High Level Reference Material – 14 Items.

A super collection of scholarly items pertaining to Australian Shipwreck research. Mainly from the 1980’s when a number of important discoveries were made and pursued none less important than …

The cache comprises … Introductory Training Program – Handbook Institute for Maritime Archaeology [IMI] (60 pages); the Test Excavation of the William Salthouse Wreck Site (35 pages); Bulletins of IMI, , Vol 8 No 1 1984 (42 pages), Vol 8 No 2 1984 (46 pages), Vol 9 Nos 1&2 (48 pages), Vol 10 No 1 1986 (83 pages), Vol 10 No 2 1986 (53 pages), Vol 11 No 1 1987 (60 pages)Vol 11 No 2 1987 (51 pages), Vol 12 No 1 1988 (55 pages), Vol 12 No 2 (45 pages), Vol 13 No 1 1989 (26 pages), Vol 13 No 2 1989 (54 pages), Volume 14 No 1 1990 (55 pages) … so an unbroken seven year run.

As you would expect the contents of each heavily illustrated with technical diagrams of wreck site assessment and record, diagrams explaining technique and apparatus sometimes unique or improvised, diagrams explaining diving procedures for covering complex site areas, images from photographs of wrecks and the treasures they throw up.

Contents are simply super .. we have elements of the Sirius, Batavia, Aarhus, Loch Ard etc. The discovery of the Pandorra on the Queensland Reef is a major project reported on by Paul Clerk and almost namesake Bill Jeffery. Whilst mainly referencing Australian waters there is plenty from abroad and deeper and broader history … Chinese Stone Anchors, Titanic artifacts, Copper sheathing, Asiatic shipbuilding techniques takes up a whole conference (O to have been there).

Super collection of quality Australian shipwreck and archaeological references.

$240.00

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Robinson Crusoe – Daniel Defoe – Published in 1790 – Two Volume Illustrated Edition by Stockdale London

The full title of one of the world’s most famous books … “The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventure of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner: Who lived eight and twenty years all alone in an uninhabited Island on the Coast of America, near the Mouth of the Great River Oroonoque, Having been cast on Shore by Shipwreck, wherein all the Men perished but himself: With An Account how he was at last as strangely delivered by Pyrates. Written by Himself.” …

The Second Volume is separately titled … “The Farther Adventures of Robinson Crusoe being the Second and Last Part of his Life” … to which is appended George Chalmers’s “Life of Daniel Defoe”

A two volume large octavo set bound in contemporary calf. Pagination Volume 1 .. viii,[iii]-iv, 493 pages – 9 full page plates: Volume 2 … [2],vi, 483 pages – 7 full pages plates. Some rubbing to covers and joints repaired, new in period labels to spine, a very good and desirable Robinson Crusoe set. Some age marks to title pages otherwise surprisingly clean internally.

This is the first edition of the Stockdale version and the best illustrations to date. Engraved frontispieces and plates were by Thomas Stothard (1755-1834) a leading illustrator of the period.

Robinson Crusoe the most popular, delightful and extraordinary of all of Daniel Defoe’s works. Loved by Dr Johnson who challenged anyone to put it down easily. By 1790 the text of Robinson Crusoe had become abused by other publishers, reduced and amended. Here, Stockdale reverted to the original text of Defoe to which he added the fine illustrations.

Most may know that Defoe was a great follower of William Dampier the first person to circumnavigate the World twice and eventually three times. Dampier was embroiled in the strange goings on resulting in the leaving of Scotsman Alexander Selkirk on Juan Fernandos Island, off the coast of Chile. He also, rather strangely, was pilot on the vessel that was to pick Selkirk up many year later. The story of Selkirk’s solitary life there, goats etc is the basis of Robinson Crusoe. Defoe had the island transported to the mouth of the Orinoco, for marketing purpose one presumes.

Late 18th Century and preferred illustrated Stockdale Volumes of Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe.

SORRY ON HOLD

$980.00

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Cook’s Final Voyage – The Journal of Midshipman George Gilbert – Introduced by Christine Holmes.

The Henty Journals – A Record of Farming, Whaling and Shipping in Portland Bay, 1834-1839. – Lynnette Peel

Captain Caution – Kenneth Roberts – First UK Edition 1949

Polar Gleams – An Account of a Voyage on the Yacht “Blencathra” [An Arctic Voyage] – Helen Peel – First Edition 1894

Australian Maritime Archaeology – A Collection of High Level Reference Material – 14 Items.

Robinson Crusoe – Daniel Defoe – Published in 1790 – Two Volume Illustrated Edition by Stockdale London

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