Books

THE LAIRD U. PARK, JR. COPY. London: George Nicol, 1792. First edition. Folio (11 3/4" x 9 3/8", 298mm x 240mm). With 8 engraved plates: portrait of William Bligh to the frontispiece, and 7 engraved plates of plans and charts (5 folding). Bound in modern quarter black calf over marbled paper boards. On the spine, five raised bands. Title and author gilt to tan morocco in the second panel. All edges of the text block gilt. A little faint rubbing to the extremities. Off-setting around the engravings. Foxing to the frontispiece and title page. Large closed tear in the plate of Otaheite. Vice-Admiral William Bligh (1754-1817) was an officer of the Royal Navy and a colonial administrator. The mutiny on the HMS Bounty occurred in 1789 under his command. The mutineers, led by Master's Mate Fletcher Christian, set him and 18 loyal men adrift in an open launch in uncharted waters. Astoundingly, they all managed to reach Timor alive, after a journey of 3,618 nautical miles. "One of the most remarkable incidents in the whole of maritime history." (Hill) This is Bligh's official account of the mutiny, based on his journals. His original mission had been to collect bread-fruit trees from Tahiti and take them to the West Indies. They were intended to feed a growing slave population. Born in Philadelphia, LAIRD U. PARK, JR. (1922-2001) graduated from Princeton with a degree in engineering in 1947, after serving in WWII. He began his career in pharmacology and went on to manufacture laboratory equipment with Troemer, Inc. Purchased from his sale (the "Americana Library of Laird U. Park, Jr."), Sotheby's New York 29 November 2000, lot 33. Hill 135, Sabin 5910.

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