and the Subsequent Voyage of Part of the Crew, in the Ship's Boat, From Tofoa, one of the Friendly Islands, to Timor, a Dutch Settlement in the East Indies
A Narrative of the Mutiny on Board His Majesty's Ship Bounty; and the Subsequent Voyage of Part of the Crew, in the Ship's Boat, From Tofoa, one of the Friendly Islands, to Timor, a Dutch Settlement in the East Indies
George Nicol, 1790.
First edition. 4to. Contemporary half calf over marbled boards. Four engraved charts, of which three are folding. A very good copy, with some wear to the front joint and the front hinge repaired. Boards worn at extremities and some foxing internally. Housed in a brown cloth, fleece-lined slipcase.
This edition, Bligh's personal account of "one of the most remarkable incidents in the whole of maritime history" (Hill), was published two years before his full official version of the voyage and the mutiny in an effort to influence opinion in his favour, absolving him "from any blame that might be levelled against him because of the incident" (Hill). The story of Fletcher Christian's mutinous commandeering of the Bounty, and the setting adrift of Bligh and his 18 loyal crewmen on a 23-foot launch is a tale known to all, but "what is not so well known is that in the course of this hazardous journey Bligh took the opportunity to chart and name parts of the unknown north-east coast of New Holland as he passed along it - an extraordinary feat of seamanship" (Wantrup). Despite the film-fuelled condescension of posterity, it should be remembered that Bligh's skill as a navigator, perhaps second only to Cook in his time, and his courage as a seaman, ensured his continued employment by the Admiralty, led to his election to the Royal Society, and to his appointment as governor of New South Wales.
PROVENANCE: Bookplate of Louis E. Goodman (1892-1961), a United States federal judge, to front free endpaper.
Stock ID: 36190
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