Ellis, William
Two volumes. 8vo Contemporary speckled calf, red and green lettering pieces, joints a bit worn but holding. Volume one with a folding map of the voyage and eight engraved plates, volume two with 13 engraved plates after the author's drawings, including eight plates of Hawaii, two of Alaska, and three of the Northwest Coast. Ellis's account of Captain James Cook's third voyage preceded the official account. Scarce in original, unrestored condition. Ref. Beddie, 1599; Forbes 41; Lada-Mocarski 35. "William Ellis, a surgeon's mate and talented amateur artist, was first on the 'Discovery' and on February 16, 1779, was discharged to the 'Resolution'. His descriptions reflect his artist's eye and form an important supplement to the official account, which it preceded by two years." Forbes.
Leverian Museum
8vo, [4], [1]-53, [54] blank.197 mm x 140 mm. Engraved frontispiece (trimmed with loss from the caption (as often, says Forbes). (Part 1 only, Part 2, which was devoted to mineral specimens, was published after some years' interval.) Forbes 197. [Bound with] Portland, Margaret Cavendish Holles Harley, duchess of, 1714-1785. A Catalogue of the Portland Museum, lately the property of The Duchess Dowager of Portland, Deceased: Which will be Sold by Auction by Mr. Skinner and Co. On Monday the 24th of April, 1786 and the thirty-seven following days.London: Skinner and Co., 1786. First edition. 4to., 194 pp. Forbes 116 . Lacking the frontispiece view of the Museum and the print of the Portland Vase. Manuscript prices on pp. 138-139 ( May 28 sale: shells, corals, etc.). Modern half calf using old marbled paper over boards; old endpapers, front one detached. The front flyleaves carry four pages of contemporary manuscript notes about the collection and discussing a visit by the former American President, John Adams. The Leverian collection was particularly notable for the number, diversity, and beauty of the objects collected on Cook's third voyage.
Bingham, Hiram
8vo., illustrated with 6 engravings and a map. Original cloth, rebacked. Hiram Bingham, missionary, born in Bennington Vermont, was sent to Hawaii as a member of the Pioneer Company of the Sandwich Islands Mission, sent from Boston by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, in 1820. In the missionaries minds it was essential to have printed material available, and it was Bingham who reduced the Hawaiian language to writing, and with his associates translated the Bible into Hawaiian. His account of his years in Hawaii is the chief source for the history of that early period. "The most important book on the history of the American Protestant mission in Hawaii during the years 1820-1841, and one of the key books of Hawaiian history," Forbes,1630.
Bowser, George
8vo, ix, 648, xxxviii, pp. Original cloth backed printed boards, minor wear but overall a fine copy. With two lithographed portraits, ten double-page views, and a map. An extensive (almost 700 page) directory, description and itinerary, full of valuable commercial and statistical information, and fascinating advertisements. Bowser gathered the information personally, and among his accomplishments he re-numbered all the buildings in Honolulu, and, for the first time, attempted to give everyone a street address. This was the only Hawaiian work he completed (an Illustrated Atlas announced in the preface was not published), he later issued several unsuccessful San Francisco directories. Very scarce, only three copies located in libraries, and only one at auction (this one) in the last 30 years. Forbes 3279.
Dixon, George
Quarto (350 x 240 mm), 360, 48 pp.,with 22 engraved maps, charts, and plates Original blue-gray paper boards, parchment spine. Printed on thick paper (4 cm.+) and with the natural history plates beautifully colored. Old public library stamps on versos of plates, minor spotting and offsetting, but a superb, completely untrimmed, copy "George Dixon's account of his trading voyage in the Queen Charlotte forms an important supplement and companion to Nathaniel Portlock's narrative of the same on the King George.It is important for its account of trading at Hawaii, Kauai, and Niihau, with considerable information on the chiefs and the political atmosphere of the period". Forbes 161.
Lay, William; and Cyrus M. Hussey
12mo., 168 pp. Original full calf with leather spine label. Front hinge weak; occasional spotting and tanning to the paper, but a better than usual copy of this book which is usually found considerably browned and foxed, due to the poor quality of its materials and its life generally in damp climates. Ownership inscription of George Swain, Jr. on front blank. Lund, Whaling Masters, identifies a George Swain, II who was active as a whaling captain between 1809 and 1823. Forbes 697; Hill 990. The Globe's helmsman and harpooner, Samuel Comstock led the mutiny in which four officers were murdered and the rest of the crew forced to join the mutineers. Comstock was killed and part of the crew escaped, but were attacked by the natives, with only Lay and Hussey surviving.
Bullen, Frank T.
Original blue cloth, gilt. Inscribed " To Capt. D. Wilson-Barker G.S. H.M.S. 'Worcester' with the author's kindest regards. F.T. Bullen." A contemporary 4 x 6 inch x 6 inch inscribed studio photograph of Bullen is tipped to the front endpaper verso, and reviews and notices of Bullen's career are tipped to the endpapers. Bullen's first book, the story of a three-year cruise on the American whaling ship, 1875-8. It ranks with Melville's Moby Dick among the classic works on whaling. Rudyard Kipling writes in the preface 'It is im1920) was a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and the Royal Meteorological Society, of which he was President from 1903-1905. In his earlier career he worked for the Blackwall Line, and commanded the SS Dacia of Silvertown of Slivertown Telegraph Works. He was Captain Superintendent of the Thames Nautical Training College, HMS Worcester from 1892 to 1919 and was a friend and correspondent of Joseph Conrad.
4to, 270 x 205 mm. xx, 294 pp. Contemporary speckled calf, handsomely rebacked. With nine plates and maps; light browning, and faint water stains in a few corners, a very good, clean copy. Kennet of the Dene bookplate. Broughton sailed to the northwest coast of America, via Rio de Janeiro, Australia, Tahiti, and the Hawaiian Islands, and to Nootka Sound on Vancouver Island. Failing to rendez-vous with Captain Vancouver he sailed down the coast to Monterey, across the Pacific to Hawaii, and on to Japan. Where in the succeeding four years he performed much important survey work. "This voyage was one of the most important ever made to the northwest coast of America. It is on this document that Great Britain based her claim to the Oregon Territory in 1846." Hill 191; Forbes 352.
Octavo, bifolium [4 pp.]. . Spine almost fully split, paper browned, nicks to edges, minor loss to lower outer corner; a very good copy. The first printing of the Hawaiian church's founding constitution, the text of which "was drawn up in Boston just prior to the departure of the first American Protestant missionaries to Hawaii. Although issued without an imprint or colophon it can be dated to 1830. Printed on 1821 watermarked paper. Signed in type by Hiram Bingham and 54 missionaries and Hawaiians. The Third Company arrived at Honolulu on the ship Parthian, 30 March 1828. Signatures of members of the Fourth Company, who arrived at Honolulu on the ship New England, 28 December 1830 are not included here, but were added to the manuscript original in the Hawaiian Mission Children's Society Collection, where the original manuscript is still held. This work was printed simultaneously with a Hawaiian-language version of the text translated by the Protestant missionary Hiram Bingham, which was distributed among the pre-existing Hawaiian churches. This appears to be the first Constitution of any sort printed in Hawaii. Forbes 742.
8vo, lacking wrappers, scattered foxing. 300 pp. Signed and inscribed "with the compliments of J.N. Reynolds New York Oct. 25, 1826. This address was the climax of Reynolds's decade of agitation for an exploring expedition, which resulted in 1838 in the United States Exploring Expedition under the command of Charles Wilkes. The address lays out the political and economic conditions, and the need for and benefits of such an expedition. Reynolds includes a summary of Pacific exploration, with comments. The extensive correspondence appended brings supporting voices from many scientists. Forbes, Hawaiian National Bibliography, 1023; Haskell, The United States Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842 and its Publications 1844-1874, 203.