Books

London, George Nicol, 1792. . First editions. 4to (29.2 x 23 cms), x, 1-153, [ii], 246-264; iv, 88pp., engraved portrait of Bligh and 7 engraved charts, plates and plans (of which one folding and 4 double-page); folding plan frontispiece, 3 charts (2 folding). Together bound in contemporary sprinkled calf, neatly rebacked. MP22 Excessively rare. One of a handful of known copies of a special advance issue of Bligh's narrative of his voyage in the Bounty. This issue contains the original 1790 printing of the Mutiny bound after a special advance printing of Bligh's account of the remainder of the voyage. In this version the text goes to page 153, with page 154 left blank, resuming on page 246 with page 245 blank save for a contemporary manuscript note in ink: 'reader, the substance of the history between pages 153 and 246 will be found after page 264 in the Narrative of the Mutiny, at the end of this volume.' Presumably the original intention was that the mutiny account was to have…

An account of Lieutenant William Bligh's journey and experiences leading up to the infamous Bounty mutiny.