Travel and Exploration

The Gimlet: Miami, Palm Beach, Havana.

Miami : John Ashe Scott, Publisher, 1933.

Special Carling Hotel edition of The Gimlet, “published in the interest of the many visitors to Cuba and Florida and other fascinating resorts of the South.” Slim octavo, original illustrated wrappers, illustrated with numerous vintage advertisements. In near fine condition.

James, William

The Naval History of Great Britain, From the Declaration of War by France, in February 1793; to the Accession of George IV. In January 1820; With An Account of the Origin and Progressive Increase of The British Navy; Illustrated, From the Commencement of the Year 1793, by A Series of Tabular Abstracts, Contained in a Separate Quarto Volume.

London : Printed for Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy, 1822.

First edition of James’ naval history of Great Britain. Five octavo volumes and one quarto volume of tables bound in three quarter calf over marbled boards with morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, folding plate in volume I. Sabin 35720. In near fine condition. Uncommon.

Lindbergh, Charles A

We.

New York : G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1927.

Signed limited edition of Lindbergh’s autobiography, which provides the account of the life of one of the century’s greatest adventurers, the first man to complete a solo non-stop transatlantic flight. One of 1000 numbered copies, this is number 97, signed by both Charles Lindbergh and the publisher on the limitation page. Octavo, half bound salmonContinue reading "We."

Fletcher, Colin

The Thousand-Mile Summer in Desert and High Sierra.

Berkeley, CA : Howell-North Books, 1964.

First edition of Fletcher’s classic first book. Octavo, original cloth, cartographic endpapers, illustrated with photographs from the author. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on half title page, “For J.P. Cohn From Colin Fletcher.” Also laid in is an autographed note signed, “Dear J.P.– Fatefully– because it was your suggestion in the first place that IContinue reading "The Thousand-Mile Summer in Desert and High Sierra."

Ellis, Leonard Bolles

History of New Bedford and its Vicinity 1602-1892.

Syracuse : D. Mason & Co., Publishers, 1892.

First edition of Ellis’ profusely illustrated history of New Bedford. Large octavo, 2 volumes bound in three quarters morocco, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt, illustrated with a profusion of fine tissue-guarded steel-engraved portraits. In near fine condition.

Durrell, Gerald

The Overloaded Ark.

New York : Simon & Schuster, 1953.

First edition of Durrell’s first book. Octavo, original cloth. Signed by Gerald Durrell on the title page. Fine in a near fine price-clipped dust jacket, name to the front free endpaper. Jacket design by Bill English. Uncommon signed.

Shackleton, Ernest; James Murray and George Marston

Antarctic Days. Sketches of the Homely Side of Polar Life by Two of Shackleton’s Men: Introduced by Sir Ernest Shackleton.

London : Andrew Melrose, 1913.

Limited edition de luxe of this account of the 1907-09 Nimrod Expedition under Shackleton. number 181 of 280 copies signed on the recto of the limitation leaf by E.H. Shackleton, James Murray and George Marston. Octavo, original blue cloth with gilt titles to the spine and front panel with a mounted color illustration, top edgeContinue reading "Antarctic Days. Sketches of the Homely Side of Polar Life by Two of Shackleton’s Men: Introduced by Sir Ernest Shackleton."

Hall, Captain Basil

Travels in North America, In the Years 1827 and 1828.

Edinburgh : Printed for Robert Cadell, Edinburgh; and Simpkin and Marshall, London, 1830.

Third and enlarged edition of Hall’s important work. Octavo, original publisher’s paper-covered boards and paper spine labels, volume one with the hand-colored folding map of the United States as far west as the Arkansas Territory and a part of Texas. Volume three contains the folding chart of statistical data on the population and size eachContinue reading "Travels in North America, In the Years 1827 and 1828."

Bellin, Jacques-Nicolas [China]

La Chine avec La Coree et les Parties de la Tartarie. [Jacques-Nicolas Bellin Eighteenth Century Map of China with Korea and Parts of Tartary].

Paris c. 1750.

Rare eighteenth century hand-colored map of China and Korea by French cartographer Jacques-Nicolas Bellin. Matted and framed. The entire piece measures 19.75 inches by 17.5 inches.

Harrer, Heinrich

Seven Years in Tibet.

London : Rupert Davis, 1953.

First edition and first English translation preceding the American edition by one year of the author’s classic work. Octavo, original blue cloth, illustrated. Signed by Heinrich Harrer in English and Tibetan on the front free endpaper. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket.

Twain, Mark. [Samuel L. Clemens]

Roughing It.

Hartford : American Publishing Company, 1874.

Early printing of Twain’s first semi-autobiographical work of travel literature, essentially a prequel to The Innocents Abroad. Octavo, bound in three quarter morocco with gilt titles to the spine, fully illustrated by eminent artists with wood engravings throughout. Association copy, inscribed by Mark Twain on the fly-leaf, “For Mrs. P. T. Barnum with kindest wishesContinue reading "Roughing It."

Norman, Howard

Northern Tales: Traditional Stories of Eskimo and Indian Peoples.

New York : Pantheon Books, 1990.

First edition of this spellbinding collection of tales of the far North. Octavo, original half cloth. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Angela Skouras.

Hillary, Edmund

High Adventure.

London : Hodder & Stoughton, 1955.

First British edition of Hillary’s account of his ascent of Everest. Octavo, original blue cloth, with maps by A. Sparks and sketches by George Djurkouic. Boldly signed by the author in a contemporary hand on the title page, “E.P. Hillary.” Near fine in a very good dust jacket.

James, William

A Full and Correct Account of the Chief Naval Occurrences of the Late War Between Great Britain and The United States of America; Preceded by a Cursory Examination of the American Accounts of Their Naval Actions Fought Previous to That Period.

London : Printed for T. Egerton, 1817.

First edition of James’ naval history of the War of 1812, which inspired Theodore Roosevelt’s account from the American perspective: The Naval War of 1812. Octavo, bound in full contemporary calf with gilt ruling to the spine and panels, red morocco spine label lettered in gilt, rebacked. In very good condition.

Yan, Liu (Liu Dezhi). [Ye Zipei]

Complete Map of the World with All Nations.

China : Wanguo Dadi Quantu, 1851 [Xianfeng period].

Exceptionally rare second edition of Ye Zipei’s complete map of the world, one of only two known copies produced by terrestrial globe expert Liu Yan. The terrestrial map is comprised of six accordion-style albums bound in handmade paper with white titular labels lettered in hand to each front panel. A woodblock print in red andContinue reading "Complete Map of the World with All Nations."

Hillary, Edmund Percival and Tenzig Norgay

Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Signed Ice Axe and Expedition Bag.

.

Rare original cotton equipment bag used in the 1953 Everest expedition, inscribed “Hillary Expedition.” The expedition bag measures 34 inches by 16 inches. Accompanied by an ice axe boldly signed by twice by Edmund Hillary and his mountaineering partner Tenzig Norgay, the first two people to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Circa 1955. WoodContinue reading "Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Signed Ice Axe and Expedition Bag."

Harte, Bret and Mark Twain. [Samuel L. Clemens]

Sketches of the Sixties: Being Forgotten Material Now Collected for the First time from The Californian 1864-67.

San Francisco : John Howell, 1927.

Second edition of the compiled uncollected materials of Twain and Harte from The Californian. Octavo, bound in three quarter morocco with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raise gilt bands, pictorial endpapers, gilt topstain, frontispiece of page one of the first number of The Californian, illustrated. From the library ofContinue reading "Sketches of the Sixties: Being Forgotten Material Now Collected for the First time from The Californian 1864-67."

Campbell, Donald

Donald Campbell Signed Bluebird K7 Photograph.

[1960].

Sepia-tone photograph of the water speed record-breaking Bluebird K7 at speed inscribed by pilot Donald Campbell, “To G.M. Williams With best wishes from Donald Campbell.” The recipient, Gwynn Mathews Williams, owned the Waterhead Filling Station on Lake Windermere, the largest natural lake in England where several water speed records were broken, from 1953 until theContinue reading "Donald Campbell Signed Bluebird K7 Photograph."

Howitt, Margaret. [Fredrika Bremer]

Twelve Months with Fredrika Bremer in Sweden.

London : Jackson, Walford, and Hodder, 1866.

First edition of Howitt’s work on the twelve months she spent with close friend and writer Fredrika Bremer. Octavo, original cloth with gilt titles and elaborate gilt tooling to the spine and front panel, tipped in tissue-guarded frontispiece portrait of Bremer with an inscription from her to Howitt in facsimile. In very good condition. ScarceContinue reading "Twelve Months with Fredrika Bremer in Sweden."

Freeman, Frederick

The History of Cape Cod: The Annals of Barnstable County and of Its Several Towns. Including the District of Mashpee.

Boston : Printed For the Author, 1858-1863.

First edition of the classic history of Cape Cod. Octavo, ten parts as issued bound into four volumes in half morocco over marbled boards with gilt titles to the spine, illustrated with tissue-guarded engravings. In near fine condition.