Description
The first edition of the An Authentic Narrative of the Loss of the American Brig Commerce, signed by Captain James Riley to Senator John Milton Niles, published in 1817 in New York. Complete with all plates and map of Africa.
Octavo, xiv, [errata], [1], 533pp, [543]-554 appendix, [xvi]. Modern full brown calf, title in gilt over black morocco label. General toning and foxing throughout text block. Complete with nine plates and a map of Africa, all plates with general toning, two with archival repairs, one with archival tissue repair. Map of Africa exceptionally bright, free of foxing. (Sabin 71397)
This copy is inscribed to Connecticut Senator John Milton Niles, “by his friend, James Riley.”
Senator John Milton Niles was a lifelong abolitionist and friend of Capt. James Riley. In 1842, Niles edited the Journal of the Loss of the Brig Commerce by Archibald Robbins, a member of Riley’s crew, whose story of heroism continued to fascinate readers. This first edition of “Riley’s Narrative” was issued in New York and Hartford in 1817, both with 9 plates and a map of Africa.
