Maritime & Naval Books
A selection of interesting, rare and out of print books and other materials about ships, maritme history and mariners from ancient times to the present.
Bartlett,
Robert A. & Ralph T. Hale. The Last Voyage of the Karluk, Flagship of
Vilhjalmar Stefansson's Canadian Arctic Expedition of 1913-16. Boston;
Small, Maynard and Company: 1916. Captain Bartlett (1875-1946) was a noted mariner who
commanded ships for Robert Peary during his attempts to reach the North Pole. In 1913 he
commanded the 'Karluk' for Vilhjamur Stefansson, whose expedition was attempting to reach
the Canadian Arctic through the Bering Strait. After the ship had been trapped in the ice
for several months and was about to be crushed, Bartlett led the surviving members of the
crew to Wrangel Island, off the coast of Siberia. He and an Innuit companion then traveled
700 miles by foot to get help.
In 1917 he would again be engaged in an Arctic rescue, this time leading an expedition to rescue Donald MacMillan and members of the Crocker Land Expedition. Between 1926 and 1946, Bartlett took his schooner 'Morrissey' on 20 voyages to the Arctic, and became something of a popular hero through the film footage shot by cameramen accompanying him. Hardcover. 5.5"x9", 329 pages, b/w plates. Covers a bit dusty, light soil, spine lettering rubbed; some scattered internal light-to-moderate foxing; light, barely noticeable stain to lower outer corner of several pages and plates. Inscribed on the endpaper by Hale to George W. Brown and dated "Christmas, 1916", and signed on the title page by Bartlett. [07791] $125.00
Brassey,
Sir Thomas. Brassey's Naval Annual, 1898. Portsmouth; J.
Griffin and Co.: 1898. A precursor of "Jane's", Brassey's books provide a
wonderful, detailed study of the development of the ironclad warship during those years
when development followed development and a wonder ship could become obsolete within a
matter of months. Each "Annual" discusses and illustrates the new naval
developments and ships, and surveys the world's navies and their vessels at this
interesting time. This issue includes a chapter on the Russian Navy by Lt. A. Stroumillo.
Hardcover. 6.5"x10", 468 pages, tinted frontispiece and 8 b/w plates, 86 line
diagram plates, and some b/w illustrations; somewhat faded covers, light wear and soil.
[03854] $100.00
Brassey,
Sir Thomas. Brassey's Naval Annual, 1915. London; William
Clowes and Sons: 1915. A precursor of "Jane's", Brassey's books provide a
wonderful, detailed study of the development of the ironclad warship during those years
when development followed development and a wonder ship could become obsolete within a
matter of months. Each "Annual" discusses and illustrates the new naval
developments and ships, and surveys the world's navies and their vessels. This is the
first true "war" edition, as the 1914 edition was issued before the declaration
of war in August. As such it is somewhat truncated, as it is noted in the preface that all
material relating to British ships, usually the "meat" of the book, has been
removed for security reasons. There is, however, a good account of the naval war, such as
it had been up to then, and an estimate of the German navy, as well as an essay,
"Thoughts on the Present, and the Future", by Lord Brassey, who came out of
retirement to edit this volume. Hardcover. 6.5"x10", 264 pages, 4 b/w plates,
line diagram plates 18-78, with a note that the line diagrams of British warships (1-17)
have been withdrawn from the publication at the request of the Admiralty. A bright copy,
with a little light wear, etc. [03856] $100.00
Breyer, Siegfried. Guide
to the Soviet Navy. Annapolis; United States Naval Institute:1970.
Hardcover. 8.5"x6", 353 pages, b&w and line illustrations, maps; worn
dj; some yellow highlighting. [28925] $20.00
Butler,
Daniel Allen. "Unsinkable". The Full Story of RMS Titanic.
Mechanicsburg; Stackpole Books: 1998. "A fresh look at this incredible story, one
that centers on the people who built the ship, crewed her, and sailed on her. It follows
the great ship as she grows on the ways at Harland & Wolf in Belfast, sails from
Southampton toward her unexpected rendezvous with an iceberg, then slowly sinks into the
North Atlantic, forever shattering the optimistic complacency of her era". Hardcover.
6.5"x9.5", 292 pages, b/w illustrations, dj; near fine. [04476] $15.00
Carpenter, Charles & Mary
Grace. The Decorative Arts and Crafts of Nantucket. New York;
Dodd, Mead & Co.: 1987. A beautifully produced study of the arts and crafts of this
legendary whaling and seaport community. Scrimshaw, basketry, glass, silver, ceramics,
furniture, textiles, weathervanes and mariners' tools are all illustrated and described
here. The Carpenters also discuss the exotic objects brought back to Nantucket by her
world-traveling mariners, from intricately-carved Chinese boxes to dramatic Samoan war
clubs. A delightful book, well illustrated and enthusiastically written. Hardcover.
8.5"x10", 257 pages, color and b/w illustrations, dj; a near fine copy. [95010]
$50.00
Crosby,
Everett U. Susan's Teeth and much about Scrimshaw. Nantucket;
Printed at the Tetaukimmo Press for Everett U. Crosby: 1955. A nice copy of one of the
most elusive and sought-after books on scrimshaw. The first portion of the book deals with
that justly fabled small group of teeth which can be identified as having been carved
aboard the Nantucket whaleship "Susan" in the late 1820s. There follows a
lengthy exposition by Crosby on scrimshaw, followed by three collected articles in the
same vein but each with a unique slant. The numerous illustrations of fine scrimshaw were
taken from Crosby's collection and that of Winthrop Williams. Crosby's book was one of the
first serious studies of this priorly-neglected subject; copies remain elusive. Author of
a number of books on Nantucket arts and history, Crosby the "Nantucketer" never
disappoints. Hardcover. 7.5"x10", 62 pages of text plus 53 b/w plates; a nice
copy with slightly spotted endpapers (as is often found); very slight discoloration along
the top of the front cover; remains of original glassine wrapper. [04961] $2500.00
Gibbs, Jim. Disaster Log of Ships. A pictorial account of
shipwrecks, California to Alaska. Bonanza Books: 1971. Hundreds of vintage
photographs chronicle the sad log of shipwreck, grounding and lethal disaster that has
befallen hundreds of vessels along the coasts of California, Oregon, Washington, British
Columbia and Alaska. From 1900 to 1970 the toll includes freighters, ferries, liners, tugs
and many other types of vessels, both sail and power-driven. Extensive and informative
captions accompany each dramatic photograph. Hardcover. 8.5"x11", 176 pages, b/w
illustrations, dj; some soil, old price crossed out on the endpaper. [03691] $25.00
Gibbs,
Jim. West Coast Windjammers in Story and Pictures. Bonanza
Books: 1968. A wondrous pictorial gallery of the sailing ships- four-masters to little
wooden schooners, that plied their way from West Coast ports in the late 19th and early
20th centuries. Hardcover. 8.5"x11", 192 pages, hundreds of b/w illustrations,
dj; light wear. [03692] $25.00
Howells,
Richard. The Myth of the Titanic. New York; St. Martin's
Press: 1999. "The first critical analysis of the Titanic as modern myth, this book
focuses on the second of the two Titanics. The first was the physical Titanic, the rusting
remains of which can still be found twelve thousand feet below the north Atlantic. The
second is the mythical Titanic which emerged just as its tangible predecessor slipped from
view on 15 April 1912. The Myth of the Titanic begins with the launching of the
'unsinkable ship' and ends with the outbreak of the 'war to end all wars'. It provides an
insight into the particular culture of late Edwardian Britain and beyond this draws far
greater conclusions about the complex relationship between myth, history, popular culture
and society as a whole". Hardcover. 5.5"x8.5", 213 pages, b/w
illustrations, dj; near fine. [04475] $20.00
Hoyt,
Edwin P. U-Boats Offshore. When Hitler Struck America. New
York; Stein and Day: 1978. The Battle of the Atlantic as it was fought off United States
beaches and cities. Hardcover. 6.5"x9.5", 278 pages, b/w illustrations, dj;
light wear; jacket worn. [02993] $15.00
Hurd,
Archibald. "Naval Prospects in 1917" London; Eyre
and Spottiswoode: 1917. Hurd predicts, correctly, that in the wake of Jutland, Germany's
naval prospects are winding down. Softcover. 4.5"x7", 12 pages; light soil.
[02560] $25.00
Johnson, Walter R. A
Report to the Navy Department of the United States on American Coals applicable to Steam
Navigation, and to other purposes. Washington; Gales and Seaton:1844. An
early report on this important subject. Coal is not all equal; too soft and it burns too
quickly with much smoke. Hardcover. 6"x9", 605 pages, newly rebound
in nice quarter leather with raised bands and marbled boards. [14038] $150.00
Keegan,
John. "The Price of Admiralty. The Evolution of Naval Warfare"
New York; Viking: 1989. The evolution of naval warfare as exemplified by four pivotal
battles- Trafalgar, Jutland, Midway, and the Battle of the Atlantic. Hardcover.
6.5"x9.5", 292 pages, b/w illustrations, dj; near fine. [02552] $20.00
Kunstveilingen. Amsterdam; Sotheby Mak van Way B.V. October 28th, 1975. An interesting European auction with many ship models, as well as coins, and metalware from 18th century shipwrecks, other old metalware, paintings, etc. 7.5"x10.5", 790 lots, b&w illustrations, softcover. [21464] $45.00
Maas,
Peter. The Rescuer. The extraordinary life of the Navy's "Swede"
Momsen and his role in an epic submarine disaster. New York; Harper &
Row: 1967. The story of "Swede" Momsen, the submarine 'Squalus', which trapped
her 59 crew members at the bottom of the ocean on May 23, 1939, and the "Momsen
Lung" which saved them. Hardcover. 6"x8.5", 239 pages, b/w illustrations,
dj; light wear. [06360] $20.00
Morison,
Samuel Eliot. Fullness of Life, A Memoir of Elizabeth Shaw Morison,
1886-1945. Privately printed: 1945. Edition limited to 200 copies. Samuel
Eliot Morison's dignified and moving tribute to his late wife. Morison, a Captain in the
Naval Reserves, was a famous historian and author of a number of nautical histories,
including the famous 15-volume official "History of U.S. Naval Operations in World
War Two". Hardcover. 5.5"x8.5", 63 pages, 5 b/w illustrations; marbled
board covers, cloth spine; "Bound in paper designed and executed by Rosamond B.
Loring [and] printed by The Merrymount Press, Boston. This copy for David and
Eloise". Light wear, partially unopened; a nice copy. Morison's calling card, listing
his address as the Army and Navy Club, loosely laid in. [06271] $300.00
Parker, Rowland. Men of Dunwich. The Story of a Vanished Town. New York; Holt, Rinehart & Winston:1978. The story of a thriving and important Medieval English port city which was beaten to death by lawsuits and legalisms and then literally reclaimed by the ocean. Hardcover. 5.5"x8.5", 272 pages, dj; a fine copy. [29443] $20.00
Rawson,
Robert. The Screw Propeller; an investigation of its Geometrical and Physical
Properties, and its application to The Propulsion of Vessels. London;
Whittaker and Co.: 1851.
A very early technical work (apparently the first textbook) on the geometry of the screw propeller. The screw propeller is a much more complex device, geometrically, than it might at first seem, and engineers spent many decades in the middle of the 19th century trying to get it right.
To put the publication date of this study in perspective, Francis Pettit Smith in England and John Ericson in America are credited with the first use of the marine screw propeller in 1839. Smith got a lucky break when his wooden device broke in half, accidentally providing him with a much more powerful propeller than he had actually designed. The 'Great Britain', an iron-hulled steamship, completed the first transatlantic voyage using a screw propeller in July, 1845, and it was not until the 1860s that screw propellers came into general use. Rawson was Headmaster of the School for Shipwright Apprentices at the Portsmouth Dockyard and a member of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society.
This copy is inscribed on the title page "To Tho's Lloyd Esq. with the Author's compliments". In addition, on the upper corner of the front pastedown it is inscribed "Th.Lloyd Nov. 1850". Thomas Lloyd was a brilliant engineer who served as Engineer in Chief of the British Navy and played a great part in the development of steam propulsion at sea. He, along with Isaac Watts, designed the 'HMS Warrior', the world's first oceangoing warship to have an iron hull, which was launched in 1861.
This copy is also ex-U.S. Patent Office Library, with a 19th century label and blindstamp, and a stamp on the title page states- "received library US Patent Office May 3 1885". It is interesting to speculate that Lloyd presented this volume to the Patent Office Library in some sort of across-the-ocean goodwill gesture. An intriguing and superlative association copy of a very early work on steam propulsion. OCLC locates only 9 copies.
Hardcover. 6.5"x10", viii + 72 pages, 1 lithographed plate; ex-U.S. Patent Office, with a "Library of Congress Duplicate" stamp; original brown blindstamped cloth with a cloth-taped spine; covers soiled and rubbed, tips, etc., worn; large triangular gouge at the top of the spine extends 1.75" across front cover; internal hinges perished, front (blank) endpaper detached but present; plate detached but present; title page with library stamp and embossure; text lightly browned but fine. A copy eminently worthy of some restoration work. [05486] $1,200.00
Rose,
Alan. Build Your Own Titanic. New York; Perigree Books: 1981.
How many times have you said to yourself, "My life would be complete if only I could
build my own Titanic"? Well, this is your lucky day. A complete scale waterline model
of the Titanic, printed on heavy card stock, ready to be cut out, folded and glued
together (with extreme patience, as there are several hundred pieces). Of course, if you
do that you destroy the value of the book, which is now more of a collector's item in
itself for the Titanic completist than a potential (rather cheesy) model. Rose provides a
brief history of the ship and step-by-step instructions with bit of quirky humor; he even
provides a folding iceberg tip... now is that in good taste? Softcover. 9"x12",
12 pages with b/w illustrations, plus 22 colored card pages; light wear to the covers.
[05946] $85.00
[Salmon]
Wilmerding, John. Robert Salmon, Painter of Ship & Shore.
Salem; Peabody Museum & the Boston Public Library: 1971. "Robert Salmon followed
the sea in his own way, using his talents as an artist to paint ships and coast and
crowded harbors in the great age of sail. His seaman's eye, deft brushwork and devotion to
truth in his paintings of ships and shipping combine with his admiration for the work of
Turner and his interest in light and atmosphere". The definitive study of Salmon,
with a catalog of his paintings, a cross-index of subjects, listings of his exhibitions
and newspaper notices, and more! Hardcover. 8.5"x11", xvi + 123 pages, 6 color
and 50 b/w illustrations, dj. A very nice copy. [06797] $375.00
Seafaring in Colonial Massachusetts. A Conference held by The Colonial Society of Massachusetts, November 21 and 22, 1975. Boston; The Colonial Society of Massachusetts:1980. Essays on a wide variety of nautical topics. Hardcover. 6.5"x9.5", 240 pages, b&w illustrations, dj; a fine copy. [28889] $25.00
Stillwell,
Paul (ed.). "Air Raid: Pearl Harbor! Recollections of a Day in
Infamy" Annapolis; Naval Institute Press: 1981. Hardcover.
8.5"x11.5", 299 pages, b/w illustrations, dj; a fine copy in an fine jacket.
[02553] $25.00
Weyer,
Kapitanleutnant B. Taschenbuch der Kriegsflotten, XIV. Jahrgang 1913.
Munchen; J.F. Lehmann's Verlag: 1913. A German "Jane's", this edition shows the
state of the world's navies at the brink of the First World War. Each ship is pictured and
described, there are also pages of silhouettes for instant identification and a colored
double-page plate of flags. Softcover. 4.5"x7", 590 pages, plus 28 pages of
adv's at the rear; b/w illustrations and a double-page color plate; covers with some wear
and rubbing, tips thumbed and worn, bookplate on endpaper; some internal soil and a little
light spotting. [02240] $125.00
Wood,
Annie M. Noman's Land. Isle of Romance. New Bedford; Reynolds
Printing: 1931. The story of Noman's Land, a small island a few miles off Chilmark, and
the southernmost point in Massachusetts. It was discovered by a sailor named Gosnold in
1602, and he named it Martha's Vineyard. That name would eventually by switched to its
parent island, with which the Indians said it was once connected by a long sandbar.
Noman's Land, cut off and tiny, was home to sheep herders and fishermen in the 18th, 19th
and much of the 20th centuries, and once supported a seasonal and thriving cod-fishing
industry. Annie Wood moved to the island in 1926 and lived there until her death in 1930,
collecting the stories and history of this charming, unique place. Hardcover.
6"x9", 166 pages, b/w and line illustrations. Covers a bit faded and soiled,
pages lightly toned; light wear. [06324] $85.00
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