The Universal Code of Signals for The Mercantile Marine of All Nations, by the Late Captain Marryat, R. N. with a Selection of Sentences Adapted for Convoys, and Systems of Geometrical, Night & Fog Signals

London: Richardson & Company, 1861. First Printing. Cloth. Fair. First Printing. [3- publisher ads, count includes front pastedown and endpaper], [foldout leaf with Plates I & II], [1 leaf Plate IV], [i-vi], [ 1 leaf Plate VI ], vii-viii, [ 2 leaves Plates III and VII ], ix-xi, [1-general contents], [11 - "PART I"], [1 - "PART II | FOREIGN VESSELS OF WAR | The list of the French Navy being no longer published, this Part cannot be continued" ], [ 2 leaves plate V ], [ 154 (last leaf apparently an insert with additional information on front, verso blank) - "PART III | MERCHANT VESSELS" ], [ 2 - "BRITISH MERCHANT VESSELS | OFFICIAL NUMBERS, &c" ], [ 72 ( last blank ) - "PART IV | LIGHTHOUSES, HEADLANDS, PORTS, and HARBOURS | ..." ], [ 85 - "PART V | MEM. - Several New ..." ], [ 51, "PART VI | VOCABULARY | ..." ], [ 2, "ADMIRALTY NOTICE" ], [10 - "LIST | OF | AGENTS TO LLOYD'S" (bottom of last page with printer imprint)], [2 - "ROYAL HUMANE SOCIETY'S | DIRECTIONS | FOR THE | RECOVERY OF THE APPARENTLY DROWNED" (this tipped onto rear endpaper) ] pages. (A total of 6 Parts. [2], xi, 391 pages plus 7 plates) Binding appears to be publishers cloth with blind stamped design, quite faded and worn with amateur repair to corners and spine panel. Recent paper label on spine. Front board with gold title lettering and decorative border: "THE | UNIVERSAL | CODE OF SIGNALS | MARRYAT | RICHARDSON" also faded but readable. Front flyleaf crudely glued at the gutter, first folding plate nearly torn in 2 at the fold (repaired with archival tape). Binding still sound, noting several signatures a bit "proud". A working man's copy and in it's original "patina'd" state. Front pastedown and endpaper publisher advertisements. Previous owner (Haddock & Co, St. Thomas) stamped in several places, another inked name/location on front flyleaf. Chips and creasing to front flyleaf (no loss of text). 2 of the plates probably trimmed (no apparent loss to content) While there are no page numbers, each section appears complete, with numerical signals progressing page to page in an appropriate manner with no obvious gaps. All sections present per the "General Contents" page. While not aesthetically pleasing as a book, the content, signaling ship to ship, was an important function in the days before other communication systems as evidenced by it's obviously used state. Cloth. This copy is dated 1861. The preface (which is for the edition of 1856) notes that the original Inventor of the code of signals, the late Captain Marryat, produced his last edition in 1841. It further notes that six large Editions have been issued since, "each greatly extended and improved". We don't know how many editions (if any) were produced between that 1856 edition and this 1861 edition. There is no specific edition noted in the book.

A scarce title with only 6 items for this publication date in OCLC (not all complete).