The Discovery of America by the Northmen
in the Tenth Century, 1842
by Joshua Toulmin Smith 
Price $750 Buy Now 

The Discovery of America by the Northmen in the Tenth Century, 1842 by Joshua Toulmin Smith 


    The Discovery of America by The Northmen in the Tenth Century Comprising Translations of All the Most Important Original Narratives of This Event; Together with a Critical Examination of Their Authenticity; To Which Is Added, an Examination of The Comparative merits of The Northmen and Columbus... by Joshua Toulmin Smith. The  author Joshua Toulmin Smith of “Progress of Philosophy among the Ancients,” etc., ... This book, The Discovery of America by the Northmen in the Tenth Century, was to show that New England was discovered and explored in the tenth century by The Northmen, The Vikings, who came from Iceland.
    2nd. Edition, published in London, by William S. Orr 1842 Foldout frontispiece map; opposite the main title-page;- The Chart to large fold-out Map, exhibiting the tracks of the Northern Navigators to the Western Hemisphere in the 10th. century and subsequent centuries. The second large fold-out Map is the Map of Vinland exhibiting the localities in New England, explored & inhabited by The Northmen. This Map shows, Massachusetts State, Massachusetts Bay, Cape Cod Bay, and Nantucket Bay. Both large fold-out Maps are in very fine condition, in addiction there are 3 other full page engravings, and a four page Index to the last pages. The is also a 10 pages of a Poem, “Ancient Ballad of Finn the Fair” within the book. Beautifully re-bound in three quarter light brown lather with brown marbles paper to the front and back covers, gilt lettering to the top of the spine, with marbled edging to the book, 337 pages excluding the 4 pages of Index. The Book is in a fine, clean collectable condition and there are no other similar copies to be found on the Internet. This book the 2nd Edition was better then the 1st. Edition which appeared in 1841, which only had 239 pages, 2 fold-out maps.

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The Private Journal
of Captain G. F. Lyon
of H. M. S. Hecla;- 1824
Price $2750 Buy Now

 The Private Journal of Captain G. F. Lyon of H. M. S. Hecla;- 1824. during the recent voyage of discovery under Captain Parry, 1821-1823 
          Published in London by  John Murray 1824, 1st. Edition;- Original three quarter brown leather binding to spine and corners of the book, reddish brown marbled paper to the centre boards, gilt border decorations along the spine and corners. A black label with gilt lettering within to the top of the spine. 7 engraved plates and not 8 that were called for, left out by the publishers. 7 engraved plates including an over large fold-out Map or Chart, in fine condition, showing the track of H. M. Ships, Fury and Hecla, on a voyage for the of discovery of the North West Passage. The frontispiece engraved plate opposite the main title-page is “The Last Appearance of the Sun”.
       Captain George Francis Lyon was a rare combination of Arctic and African explorer. By all accounts a fun loving extrovert, he also managed to be a competent British Naval Officer, Commander, Explorer, Artist and Socialite. “Private Journal” includes “detailed account of the Eskimos of southern Baffin Island and Melville Peninsula; the natural history and ice conditions of the region... particularly a difficult passage through Hudson Strait. Brief Narrative, concerns the author’s search for a North West Passage in the Griper in 1824. Lyon nearly made Repulse Bay but was driven back by weather.
      George Francis Lyon was born in 1795 at Chichester. In 1808, he entered the Navy and was appointed lieutenant in HMS Berwick in 1814, later serving in HMS Albion at the Battle of Algiers and participating in an expedition to North Africa. Promoted commander in 1821, he was placed in command of HMS Hecla on the British Naval Northwest Passage Expedition, 1821-1823 (leader William Edward Parry), sent by the Admiralty in company with HMS Fury to search for a Passage along the West Coast of the unexplored Foxe Basin in the Canadian Arctic. After two attempts to sail through Fury and Hecla Strait were hindered by the ice, the expedition was forced to return in 1823. Promoted captain on his return, Lyon published his account of the expedition in 1824 and his sketches were used to illustrate Captain Parry's narrative of the expedition.
          In 1824, Lyon led the British Naval Exploring Expedition, sent by the Admiralty to Repulse Bay, northwest Hudson Bay, with the objectives of crossing Melville Peninsula to the north coast of mainland America and of exploring that coast westward to Turnagain Point, Kent Peninsula. Setting out in HMS Griper in June 1824, the expedition landed on Coats Island, Northern Hudson Bay and reported on the Eskimo whom they met there. In Roes Welcome Sound, they were twice nearly shipwrecked and were forced to turn home before reaching Repulse Bay. After the expedition, Captain Lyon worked briefly for a Mexican mining company but lost most of his possessions when the ship in which he was returning was wrecked in 1827. He worked for mining companies in South America until 1832 when failing eyesight forced him to set sail for Britain. He died at sea on 8th. October 1832, during the return journey home.

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Daniel Defoe-   
The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures
of Robinson Crusoe of York 1791:
Price $1,250 Buy Now

Defoe, Daniel. 
        The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe of York 1791:
Mariner: who Lived Eight and Twenty Years all Alone in an Uninhabited Island on the Coast of America, Near the Mouth of the Great River Oroonoque; having been cast on Shore by Shipwwrek, wherin all the Men Perished but Himself. With an Account how he was at Strangley delivered by Pirates. Written by Himself. The Seventeenth Edition, adorned with engraved plates an da fold-out Map of the world. In Two Volumes 1791.     Published in London: by J. F. and C. Rivington; T. Longman 1791 both volumes;- Frontispiece to volume 1 a full page engraved plate of Robinson Crusoe and 6 other full page engraved plates to volume 1;-     
     Volume 2;- Further Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, being the second part of his Life and of the strange Accounts of His Travels, round three parts of the globe. Volume 2;- Frontispiece fold-out Map of the World, on which is Delineated the Voyages of Robinson Crusoe. The fold-out Map of the World has a few minor nicks and tears along the top of the Map, otherwise in good condition. With 5 full page engraved plates with the text. Both in antique calf-brown leather with six raised bands along the spine. All 13 engraved plates are in fine condition. The two volume books are in good condition and highly collectable, with both the fold-out map of the World and Robinson Crusoe’s life and encounters on his Life and Strange Surprising Adventures. 
    17th. Edition of 1791, in 2 volumes of the book that is widely accepted as the first novel in English. It was an immediate success, widely translated, and which inspired a huge number of imitations and adaptations across the world since the book was first published. The first part was published on 25 April 1719 in an edition of 1,000 copies; the sequel, Farther Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, was published in August the same year. Rousseau recommended it as the first book which ought to be studied by a growing boy; Coleridge praised its depiction of “The Universal Man” and Karl Marx used it to illustrate economic theory in action. The first English novel was modelled along the existing lines of hugely popular travel books and distantly inspired by the true story of Alexander Selkirk.

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Lands of the Slave and the Free
or Cuba, the United States and Canada
by Henry A. Murray 1855.
​Buy $ 1,250 Buy Now 

Lands of the Slave and the Free or Cuba, the United States and Canada by Henry A. Murray 1855.
       
​   Published by John W. Parker., of London 1855 - 1st. Edition;- A Two Volume set, Volume 1. Has 2 page publishers catalogue to the last two pages after the fold-out large Map of America.  and a total of 479pp. 
  
      Volume 2. Also has 479 pages and 4 page publishers catalogue to the last few pages of the volume;- 2 vignette Titles -Pages, to both volume 1 and volume 2. With 14 engraved plates, including 2 maps , one large, fold-out Map of the U. S. A. at the time 1855, There were 31 States at the time in 1855 President: Franklin Pierce  (D-New Hampshire).  Vice President: vacant. Chief Justice: was Roger B. Taney (Maryland). Speaker of the House of Representatives: Linn Boyd (D-Kentucky). The recently obtained Gadsden Purchase was assigned to New Mexico Territory in 1854. Due to its remote location, Boston Corner was transferred from Massachusetts to New York in 1855;- The recently obtained Gadsden Purchase was assigned to New Mexico Territory in 1854. Also, As yet Nebraska, Utah, and New Mexico, have scarcely any Slaves in 1855. The large fold-out Map of America is an exact copy from Mr. Schramke’s the cartographer and his scientific work in exact map making.  The other map of Croton Aqueduct, all the maps are in fine condition… Original pebbled brown cloth, gilt titled to front of both volumes, within a Maltese Cross, the same to the back covers, but without the gilt within the Maltese Cross, gilt lettering to both spines. Salmon coloured end-papers, the two volumes are uncut. 

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Country Contentments or The Husbandman`s Recreations ;-
by G. M. (Markam Jervase). 1631.
Price $2,500 Buy Now

     Country Contentments or The Husbandman`s Recreations ;- by G. M. (Markam Jervase). 1631. Contayining the Wholesome Experiences, in which any man ought to Recreate himself after the toyle of more serious Business. As namely, Hunting, Hawking, Coursing with Grey-hounds and the lawes of the Leafe, Shooting in Long-bowe or Cros-bowe, Bowling, Tennis, Baloone. The whole Art of Angling, and the use of the Fighting Cocke;- Published by Nicholas Okes; 4th. Edition of 1631. Highly collectable book;- 118 pages complete;- Later Brown leather covers with gilt lettering, and gilt decoration to the front, back and spine. This is one of the first books to write about Tennis. Other topics covered are ;- Hawking;- Fishing;- Bowling;- Archery;- Grey-hound coursing, Cock Fighting;- and gilt decoration to the front, back and spine. Pages brown and stained with age, still a handsome copy of a very scarce and rare book.
    Though this is really a 1st. Edition, prior to this book which was printed in 1631 Markam Jervase didn’t publish this title before 1631 as can be seen from my list below;- 

1593: A Discourse of Horsemanship was followed by other popular treatises on horsemanship and farriery;
 
1595: The most Honorable Tragedy of Sir Richard Grinvile (1595), reprinted (1871) by Professor E. Arber, a prolix and euphuistic poem in eight-     lined stanzas on Sir Richard Grenville;
 
1595: The Poem of Poems, or Syon's Muse, dedicated to Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Philip Sidney;
   
1597: Devoreux, Virtue's Tears;
   
1600: The Teares of the Beloved and Mary Magdalene's Tears (1601), long and rather commonplace poems on the Passion and Resurrection of Christ, both reprinted by Dr. A. B. Grosart in the Miscellanies of the Fuller Worthies Library (1871);
   
1602: A translation of the satires of Lodovico Ariosto;
   
1607: Cavelarice, or The English horseman, featuring secrets of William Bankes, master of the performing horse Marocco;
   
1607: The English Arcadia, part 1. A sequel to Sidney's Arcadia. Part 2 appeared in 1613;
   
1608: The Dumb Knight, a comedy, with Lewis Machin;
   
1615: The English Huswife;
   
1622: Herod and Antipater, a Tragedy, written with William Sampson;
   
1624: Honor in his Perfection, in praise of the earls of Oxford, Southampton and Essex;
   
1625: Soldier's Accidence turns his military experiences to account;
   
​1634:  The Art of Archerie, Shewing how it is most necessary in these times for this Kingdom, both in Peace and War, and how it may be done without Charge to the Country, Trouble to the People, or any Hindrance to Necessary Occasions. Also, of the Discipline, the Postures, and whatsoever else is necessary for the attaining to the Art (London, Ben Fisher, at the Signe of the Talbot without Alders Gate, 1634)

        Markam Jervase was an English poet and writer, best known for his work The English Huswife, Containing the Inward and Outward Virtues Which Ought to Be in a Complete Woman first published in London in 1615.
Markham was a voluminous writer on many subjects, but repeated himself, and sometimes reprinted books under other titles. Markham edited the Book of Saint Albans sometimes attributed to Juliana Berners, under the title of The Gentleman's Academy (1595); and produced numerous books on husbandry, many of which are catalogued in William Thomas Lowndes's Bibliographer's Manual. He was a soldier of fortune in the Low Countries, and later was a captain under the Earl of Essex's command in Ireland. He was acquainted with Latin and several modern languages, and had an exhaustive practical acquaintance with the arts of forestry and agriculture. Markam Jervase was a noted horse-breeder, and is said to have imported the first Arabian horse into England. Very little is known of the events of his life. The story of the murderous quarrel between Gervase Markham and Sir John Holles related in the Biographia has been generally connected with him, but in the Dictionary of National Biography, Sir Clements R. Markham, a descendant from the same family, refers it to another contemporary of the same name, whose monument is still to be seen in Laneham church. Gervase Markham was buried at St Giles's, Cripplegate, London.

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Voyage of the Challenger:
The Atlantic:
by Charles Wyville Thomson 1877.
Price $550 Buy Now

Voyage of the Challenger: The Atlantic: by Charles Wyville Thomson. A Preliminary Account of the General Results of the Exploring Voyage of HMS Challenger during the Year 1873;- in 2 Volumes by Thomson, Charles Wyville;-  Published by Macmillan in London 1877 - 1st. Editions-1877, 424 pages in volume 1 and 396 pages plus ads in volume 2.  A fine 2 volume set of important historical volumes with many woodcuts within the text and 15 plates including fold-out maps and diagrams. All accounted for in both volumes and in fine condition. Green cloth hard-back covers with gilt decorations along the spine of both volumes and top edges gilt. Embossed sun emblem to both front covers. Some slight wear and tear to the end of the spines, otherwise a fine collectable two volume set. 

  HMS Challenger was a steam-assisted Royal Navy Pearl-class corvette launched on 13 February 1858 at the Woolwich Dockyard. She was the flagship of the Australia Station between 1866 and 1870. The Challenger Expedition was a grand tour of the world during covering 68,000 nautical miles organised by the Royal Society of London in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh. Charles Wyville Thomson was the leader of a large scientific team.
 
  The Captains were George Nares and Charles Wyville Thomson, the other was the late Captain Frank Tourle Thomson, R. N. The Naturalists were Charles Wyville Thomson, Henry Nottidge Moseley and Rudolf von Willemoes-Suhm. Oceanographers were John Young Buchanan and John Murray.  Publication was untaken by C.W. Thomson, Report on the scientific results of the voyage of HMS Challenger during the years 1873-76… prepared under the superintendence of the late Sir Charles Wyville Thomson, and now of John Murray, Publishers.  H.N. Moseley, Notes by a naturalist on the Challenger. W.J.J. Spry, The cruise of the Challenger (1876). To enable her to probe the depths, all but two of the Challenger's guns had been removed and her spars reduced to make more space available. Laboratories, extra cabins and a special dredging platform were installed. She was loaded with specimen jars, alcohol for preservation of samples, microscopes and chemical apparatus, trawls and dredges, thermometers and water sampling bottles, sounding leads and devices to collect sediment from the sea bed and great lengths of rope with which to suspend the equipment into the ocean depths. In all she was supplied with 181 miles (291km) of Italian hemp for sounding, trawling and dredging. The Challenger's crew was the first to sound the deepest part of the ocean, thereafter named the Challenger Deep. Sir Charles Wyville Thomson was a Scottish natural historian and marine zoologist. He served as the chief scientist on the Challenger expedition. The remarkable hydrographic and zoological results which Charles Wyville Thomson had demonstrated, in addition to the growing demands of ocean telegraphy, soon led to the Royal Navy to grant use of HMS Challenger for a global expedition. Charles Wyville Thomson was selected as chief scientist, and the ship sailed on 23 December 1872. In 1880 he published two volumes, having completed writing in 1877. The Voyage of the Challenger in the Atlantic, a preliminary account of the results of the voyage, his work there revolutionised oceanography and led to his knighthood.

Finden's Views of the Ports, Harbours & Watering Places,
 Picturesque Scenery of Great Britain,
by W.H. Bartlett, J.D. Harding, 1842
​Price $ 750 Buy Now

Finden's Views of the Ports, Harbours & Watering Places, and picturesque Scenery of Great Britain. Illustrated by views taken on the spot, by W.H. Bartlett, J.D. Harding and Others. With Descriptions Historical and Topographical by William Beattie;- 1842;- 1st. Edition 2 Volumes set, Ireland was not covered in the 1st. Edition, as this two volume set is the true 1st. Edition, with numerous engravings Publishers and Engraved by James S. Virtue, London 1842;- 
  
​  62 large engraved plates in volume 1. Volume 2, also has 62 large engraved plates to volume 2, 124 full plate engravings with their tissue guards. Naturally there is some foxing throughout the two volume set, due to the paper makers of the time. This stunning work was first published in 1842, but with only 64 engraved plates in volume I and 64 engraved plates in volume 2. All the engraved plates are present as called for, in later editions more engraved plates were added, 1843, 1844, etc..etc..Original dark green cloth bindings to both volumes, with embossed ships to both volumes front and back, the front embossed ships are in gilt, as are the edgings to both volumes. Lavishly embossing designs to both volumes front and back, very attractive. The two volumes are in good collectable condition.,Two frontispieces to both volumes, This well-known work, among the best of the great nineteenth-century collections of steel-engravings, is never found in such crisp, clean state. 
  
 Ireland was not covered in the 1st. Edition. Finden’s celebrated engravings of the coast of the British Isles takes in Lighthouses, Ports and Harbour scenes, romantic and dramatic scenery with ragged coastlines, Abbeys, Castles, Bridges. There are Dock scenes, views of early Paddle-Steamers and Sailing Vessels. The 2 volumes include Tynemouth, Harwich, Yarmouth, Cromer, Hull, Flamborough Head, Whitby, Hartlepool, Newcastle, Cullercoats, Bamborough, Berwick, Leith, Dundee, Montrose, London, Catham, Brighton, Cowes, Cardiff, Bristol, Liverpool Weymouth, Hollyhead, Manai Bridge, Brixham, and much more. 

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