A Narrative of the Mutiny on Board His Majesty's Ship Bounty; and the suibsequent voyage of part of the crew in the ship's boat from Tofoa one of the Friendly Islands to Timor a Dutch Settlement in the East Indies.

This is a rare or used book from the Berkelouw Rare Books Department.

London: Printed for George Nicol 1790. 4to. Later full mottled calf. Spine gilt titled. T.e.g. other edges uncut. LARGE PAPER COPY (31.5 x 23.5 cm.). With 3 folding charts and a fold. plan of the Bounty?s launch. (iv 88pp.). Some non-disturbing old worming at beginning of text and toning of title-page otherwise a desirable copy of the very rare First Edition of the most famous mutiny of the 18th century. Captain F. J. Bayldon?s copy bearing his bookplate and presented to him by Angus & Robertson (publishers) with Bayldon's associated pencil notes. Capt. F. J. Bayldon extra master and hydrographer was the founder and director of the Sydney Nautical School from 1910 to 1947. Much of his hydrographical surveying was done in the seas north of Queensland and some of his tools of trade and personal effects are now held by the Sydney Maritime Museum. NOTE: Everyone knows that the Bounty's crew led by Fletcher Christian mutinied and set Bligh and his companions adrift in a 23-foot launch shortly after the ship had left Tahiti in April 1789. In their small boat Bligh and his companions made a remarkable journey of more than three and a half thousand miles from Tofoa to Timor in six weeks over largely uncharted waters. What is not so well known is that in the course of this hazardous journey Bligh took the opportunity to chart and name parts of the unknown north-east coast of New Holland as he passed along it - an extraordinary feat of seamanship. This work is extremely important to any collection of Australian books on account of Bligh's coastal discoveries while navigating in the open boat and also because of his later dramatic association as governor in New South Wales. Ferguson 71; Wantrup 61.