Description
First edition of Lieutenant William Bligh’s Voyage to the South Sea, published in London in 1792 by George Nicol.
Quarto, [10], 264, [3]. Contemporary molted calf, title in gilt on spine, raised bands. This copy was rebacked to preserve the original binding. Complete with 8 plates, including an engraved frontispiece portrait by J. Conde, 6 engraved maps (5 fold-out) and one illustrated plate. A few spots to plates, sound binding. Clean text block. (Sabin 5910) (Ferguson 125) (Mendelssohn II, 1117) An attractive example.
William Bligh (1754-1817) was the commanding lieutenant of the HMS Bounty during its ill-fated voyage in 1789, which led to the notorious Mutiny on the Bounty. Bligh’s nautical career began at the age of seven, and by twenty-two he served as a sailing master under Captain James Cook on Cook’s third and final voyage in the Pacific Ocean. He later commanded several vessels, including the HMS Director at the Battle of Camperdown in 1797. In his later career, Bligh served as the fourth Governor of New South Wales, Australia, from 1806 to 1808, where his confrontational administrative style led to the Rum Rebellion, the only successful armed takeover of government in Australian history. Bligh died in London on December 7, 1817.
