Memoires Relating to the State of the Royal Navy of England by Pepys, Samuel - 1690

London: Printed for Ben. Griffin, and are to be sold by Sam. Keble at the Great Turks-Head in Fleet-street over against Fetter-Lane, 1690. Book. Very Good. Hardback. First Edition. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. A very good first edition copy in original dark-brown speckled calf-covered boards with decorative blind border-rule. Includes portrait frontispiece. Binding re-cornered and re-spined the original burgundy title label laid on. Four raised bands on spine. 4pp 214pp, 18pp.; signatures [A]2, B-M8, N-Q4, R8, S4; [1] folded leaf, portrait and table. Bookseller's ticket at head of front paste-down: 'Sold by R. Beckley | Bookseller | 29 Mary-lebone St | Piccadilly'. With frontispiece portrait ([A]1v) signed 'G: Kneller pinx: R: White sculp'; [White, Robert, 1645-1703, engraver. Kneller, Godfrey, Sir, 1646-1723, artist.] Title-page in red and black. Running title: Memoires touching the Royal Navy. Divisional title-page on sig. N1r (p.177): A List and State of the Royal Navy. Includes a folding table with heading: A General State of Account, Relating to the 400000. l, per Ann. payable out of the Exchequer to the Treasurer of the Navy, for answering Mr. Pepys's Proposition .Written after his retirement from the navy, this copy has a number of manuscript corrections in his hand or under his direction. With Index at end. Slight edge-browning. Crisp, clean and tight. ESTC R18773. This was the only book written by Pepys to be published in his lifetime, and forms a defence of his administration of the Navy from 1679 until his dismissal from office following the Revolution in 1688. Interestingly the bookseller whose label is inserted, died in 1833, The Annual Register states; "In Piccadilly, aged 37 paralysis brought on by drinking immoderate quantities of brandy Mr Richard Beckley, Bookseller". Overall a good and interesting copy of an elusive and desirable book..