Search Results: SHIPS & THE SEA from Antipodean Books, Maps & Prints

London, 1822. The advertisement for the London chronometer makers reads: "The Honorable Board of Admiralty Awarded T. Cotterell & Co. a Prize of 200 Pounds for the Extraordinary Accuracy of the Performance of their Chronometer, the actual Variation on its Rate in 12 Months being only 70 Hundredth Parts of a Second". It goes on to say that the Admiralty purchased several of the chronometers "for their superior performance on the Public Trials at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. ... Cotterell have also been liberally encouraged by the Swedish Government, And by many Scientific Navigators". Chronometers at the time played a critical role in navigation at sea, having been recently introduced as the best method to determine exact longitude. Chronometers made by Kendall were used as early as the 1770's in Captain Cook's expeditions; and by Capt. John Ross in expeditions to the Arctic. Another Kendall chronometer was used by Lieutenant Matthew Flinders in expedition to Australia in 1801. The Public Trials… Read More

1790. A superb small color aquatint of two ships in a storm at sea, with the manuscript caption, "They that go down to the Sea in Ships, that do business in great waters, these see the works of the Lord and His wonders in the deep". Written with the long "s"; the illustration is mounted onto a sheet removed from a scrap album. On the verso, "Lines written in 1746 on the Scriptures." Starting "Hail sacred volume of eternal truth, " and ending "And not in vain for even me be spilt." The image does indeed strike fear in your heart for those that might be aboard. Image 6 1/4 x 5 7/8", mounted on paper 8 1/2 x 6 1/2"

Very good overall. The Asia was built in Bombay India in 1824. This 2 decked ship was at the time the pride of the British Navy, playing a crucial role in the Battle of Navarino (October 1827) during the Greek war of independence, in which allied forces defeated Egyptian and Ottoman forces trying to suppress the Greek independence struggle. B&w lithograph of the hull without the mast, and the title printed below. Printed on brown stock paper. A small chip at lower right corner, a small damp mark through the rule below, and not touching the title. 8 1/2 x 6 1/4". Not found on Trove.

London: C. Dicey & Co, 1770. Copper engraving with period hand color, the eggshell blue sky alone makes these engravings desirable. Depicting sailing ships in the calm waters of a harbor, with a fortified landing at the left side, with a tower flying a red flag. The title is given in English at the lower left, and in French at the lower right. Measures 28 x 17.5 cm; tipped onto an album sheet at some early date.

London: J. Asperne, 1808. Very good condition. Aquatint engraved portrait of the English captain William Rogers, renowned for his capture of the much larger 'Jeune Richard', a French privateer, in a naval engagement in the Caribbean during the Napoleonic Wars. Rogers crew had three dead and ten wounded, while the Jeune Richard suffered twenty-one dead, and thirty-three wounded. Windsor Castle's underdog victory over the French created a sensation in the British press. Head and shoulders portrait printed on thick gauge paper, of Captain William Rogers, after the painting by Samuel Drummond. "Publish'd by J. Asperne, April 1, 1808" . Impression marks 4 x 5 1/2", paper size 5 x 8 1/4"

1717. Very good condition. Robert Blake (1598 - 1657) was one of the pre-eminent British admirals and naval tacticians of the 17th century, the chief contributor to Britain's naval supremacy, who built the largest British navy of the day, and whose talents are thought to rival or surpass those of Lord Nelson. Blake made the first set of rules and regulations for the Navy ('The Laws of War and Ordinances of the Sea'), and wrote about his new methods for conducting naval blockades and landings, a significant revision of the existing naval tactics ('Sailing instructions and Fighting Instructions'). Blake's naval experience included battles in the English Civil War, the Anglo Dutch War and the Anglo Spanish War. Engraved by M. V de Gucht. Three quarter length portrait, in armor, holding truncheon at his right side; naval battle scene in distance. 4 x 6 1/2"; paper 5 1/2 x 7 1/2"

Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1967. First edition. Hardcover. Near fine in wraps. With the Diary of Luca di Maso degli Albizzi, Captain of the Galleys 1429 - 1430 (in Italian). 8vo, 293pp, b&w frontis, b&w illus throughout, including 2 maps. Dark blue buckram cover with gilt title on spine. Pale blue dj with brown title on cover and spine.

Boston: Charles E. Lauriat, 1926. Hardcover. Very good condition. 8vo, xxxviii, 308pp, ills. Dark blue gilt cloth, title in gilt at spine, with gilt decorative ship's wheel. Spine a bit sunned, a little rubbed. Internally, gift inscription dated Christmas 1934; with the Charles E. Lauriat Sea Books, Boston, blue label at ffep.

1942. Very good condition. Signed etching by the American artist, Philip Kappel. A lone rider winds along a hilly path, the mail boat steaming in to shore in the distance. Kappel (1901 - 1981) graduated from Pratt Institute; he is noted for his marine etchings. Signed at the lower right. 7 3 /4 x 6 6 1/2"

Salem: Peabody Museum, 1942. First edition. Hardcover. Signed by the author on the title page. 4to, xx, (4), 80, (4)pp with maps and facsimile documents, plus 1 large folded map ,1 wood engraving in 3 colors by Rudolph Ruzicka & 13 b&w photos. Cloth cover, gilt title on front cover and spine. Signature of the manager of the insurance company on the forward page. Very good condition The discovery of the abandoned Mary Celeste in 1872: aftermath and explanations.

Glasgow: Brown and Son, 1927. First edition. Hardcover. Good -. Cover has book plate of the Orient Line of the S.S. "ORION". 8vo, 244pp, black cloth covers, rubbed at edges, spine ruffled at head. Fox spotting throughout, covers rubbed.

London: C. Dicey & Co, 1770. Copper engraving with period hand color showing two sailing ships tossed on stormy seas, although the sky above them is a deep blue. The eggshell blue sky alone makes this a desirable engraving. The title is given in English at the lower left, and in French at the lower right. Measures 28 x 17.5 cm; tipped onto an album sheet at some early date.

Oslo: H. Aschehoug & Co., 1938. Hardcover. Very good condition. Account of volcanic islands located in the south Atlantic Ocean; it is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world. A Dutch East India Company ship landed there in 1643 and the first scientific exploration was conducted by French naturalist Louis Marie Aubert du Petit-Thouars, in 1793. 8vo, 205pp, maps. Quarter green cloth with tan cloth boards, gilt title at spine, with black rules. Spine a bit sunned. Text in Norwegian.

1800. Very good overall. Chapters one through three from The World Displayed or, a Curious Collection of Voyages and Travels, selected from the Writers of all Nations. 12mo, pp 133 - 164. The chapters describe the circumnavigation of the globe by Sir Francis Drake in the years 1577 -1580. With a charming plate "The King of California places his Crown of Feathers on Admiral Drake's Head", with the description: "This country on account of its white cliffs, which are seen at a good distance at sea, he in honour of his native soil, called Nova Albion, though it has since been known by the name of California. ... The King is said to have made a solemn offer of his whole kingdom to the Admiral; and with the consent of his subjects, took off the crown of feathers he wore on his head, and placed it upon the Admiral's..."