Description
First edition of Voyages of the United States Frigate Potomac by Jeremiah N. Reynolds.
Octavo, x, [11]-560pp. Three-quarter black morocco over marbled paper boards. Four decorative bands, title in gilt on spine. No additional printings listed. Solid text block, cracked joints, wear to edges. Intermittent foxing throughout. Previous ownership inscription on front flyleaf. Complete with one fold-out map and nine plates protected with tissue guard. (Sabin 70434) (Hill 252) (Borba da Moraes II 202-3)
Jeremiah N. Reynolds (1799-1858) joined Commodore Downes aboard the Potomac at Valparaiso, Chile, where he was looking to explore the South Seas. Downes invited him to be his private secretary, and Reynolds joined the crew. He was instructed to record the avenging attack on natives along the coast of Sumatra, where the crew of the Friendship had been previously massacred.
