THE SEA IS A MAGIC CARPET. by PADFIELD**, PETER:

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.VG+/VG.No owner inscrptn,and no price-clip to dw/dj.Colour pictorial (non-credited) artwork illustrated upper wrap+ spine/backstrip with yellow+blue lettering,author portrait b/w photograph to rear wrap; with negligible shelf-wear and creasing to edges and corners - two small nicks to top edge - miniscule rubbing to corners and some edges.Top edge dust-soiled and darkened with some sporadic spotting/foxing,fore-edges less so and therefore much brighter and cleaner; contents bright,tight and clean.Bright,clean,blue paper-covered boards with bright,crisp,stamped silver gilt letters to spine/backstrip and generally clean plain white endpapers.UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn,9-231pp [paginated] includes preface,5 voyages/excursions comprising of 15 chapters,b/w line illus throughout the text and the book,8pp half-tone (b/w) photographs between pp 96/7 - photographs+ illus by the author - plus [unpaginated] half-title+title pages,acknowledgements,contents list/table,and b/w map frntis. Which of us did not envy the men aboard Mayflower II during her historic voyage to Plymouth,Massachusetts,in 1957.Peter Padfield,a young Merchant Navy officer,was one of the lucky few to be selected by Commander Viliers out of the thousands that applied,and in the opening chapters he gives us a fascinating picture,from the crew's point of view,of the preparations at Brixham,the voyage itself,and the welcome Mayflower received when she eventually reached the Unites States. Returned to England,Padfield next signed on as second officer aboard the Bendigo,a cargo vessel bound for Sydney,Australia,via the Suez Canal and Columbo;at the ship's dance in Sydney he met a girl who lived on the Solomon Islands.It sounded a wonderful place,so he determined to go there.He eventually made it,working his passage on a small and uncomfortable tug on a delivery voyage from the Clyde to New Zealand. His adventures in the Solomon Islands,including panning for gold,some highly dangerous crocodile hunting in the dark,and his part in the search for the Government-vessel Melanesian,which vanished without survivors in mysterious circumstances,form the last part of this highly entertaining wander-lust book.Book is now out-of-print,as publisher folded in 1985. Please contact rpaxtonden@blueyonder.co.uk ,for correct shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page!