Description
First edition of A Report Of The Trial Of Commodore David Porter as recorded by Robert Beale in 1825.
Octavo, viii, 244pp, 68pp. Half brown morocco, title in gilt on spine. Red cloth boards, marbled edges. Solid text block, light wear to cloth, occasional foxing to leaves, lightly toned throughout. Ex-library with usual stamps to title page. (Sabin 64222) With the bookplate of Charles Fleischmann III affixed to the front free endpaper. A well-presenting example of an incredibly scarce title, with no similar copies to be found on the public market.
Commodore David Porter (1790-1843) was an officer in the United States Navy, serving during the First Barbary Wars and the War of 1812, as commander of the USS Essex. Under his leadership, the Essex captured numerous British whaling ships in the Pacific, significantly disrupting British maritime activities. Porter’s innovative tactics and bold strategies marked him as a pioneering figure in naval warfare. After the War of 1812, he faced court-martial for overstepping his authority during an unauthorized mission in the West Indies and was convicted. Porter never accepted the verdict and resigned in 1826. Soon after he enlisted with the Mexican Navy as its commander-in-chief from 1826-1829.
This copy belonged to Charles Fleischmann III, the great-grandson of the founder of the Fleischmann Yeast Company which opened in 1868 in Cincinnati, Ohio. After promoting the business at the 1876 Centennial Exposition the Fleischmann Yeast Company became the largest producer of yeast in the world.
