Description
First edition of A Narrative of the Proceedings of His Majesty’s Fleet, Under the Command of Earl Howe, published in 1796. The first major sea battle of the Revolutionary War.
Quarto, [8], 118pp. Full red crushed levant, thin gilt trim. Spine professionally rebacked, five raised bands, title in gilt. Green silk endpapers, all edges gilt. Previous ownership bookplates to front endpapers. Errata on verso of title page. Solid text block, worn corners, foxing to edges of leaves, a very good example. Complete with a detailed frontispiece portrait of King George III, tipped-in frontispiece portrait of Earl Howe, and two large fold-out plates of battle plans bound in at rear. Binding by L. Staggemeire and Welcher of London. (NMM Catalogue V, 1798)
Richard, The First Earl Howe (1726-1799) was a Royal Navy officer who served Great Britain in the Seven Years’ War, the American Revolutionary War, and the French Revolutionary War. This work describes Howe’s success in commanding the British Fleet during the “Glorious First of June” naval battles in 1794, with the British defeat of the French fleet of Villaret de Joyeuse in the North Atlantic. The first British naval victory of the Revolutionary War.
