Maritime

Boston: Wright and Potter. Good+. 1864. First Edition. Hardcover. 1st Edition. Clean black cloth has gilt title on spine. Interior of text is tight, clean & intact. Maps & charts inVG+ condition. Yellow endpaper. 165pp of text plus 14 fold-out maps and charts. 2 oversized maps, some color. Charts of shipwrecks occuring around Cape Cod from 1843-1859. Report on tides. George Washington letter proposing the building of the canal. Front corners and spine ends are lightly rubbed. Cloth tears in gutter with cover firmly attached. Massachusettes Canal; Maps and Charts; 8vo 8" - 9" tall; 165 pages .

Albany, N. Y.: D. Steele. Good+. 1820. First Edition. Hardcover. Title continued: "TOGETHER WITH THE RISE, PROGRESS AND EXISTING STATE OF MODERN AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES, ON THE BERKSHIRE SYSTEM, FROM 1807 TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK, JANUARY 10, 1820'. In December 1791, Elkanah Watson proposed to the New York State legislature that natural waterways could be used to create what later became the Erie Canal across New York State, connecting the Hudson River and New York City with the Great Lakes. Later he competed with Dewitt Clinton for the credit for this concept. In 1792, with General Philip Schuyler, Watson formed a company to build locks and canals, starting with the canal at Little Falls, New York, about halfway through the Mohawk Valley where the river had rapids that prevented through traffic. Blue paper covered boards, cloth spine with label. Front hinge is cracked with cover firmly attached. Light foxing throughout. [ (iv)… Read More

Truro & London: W. Lake; Simpkin, Marshall & Co., 1875. First edition. Illustrated with a frontispiece, three plates, a double page map and a vignette title page, square octavo, pp (6), 135, all edges gilt, some foxing here and there, a couple of neat relevant pencil annotations, original green bevelled cloth, gilt lines and decoration on upper cover, slightly worn and rubbed, very neatly and professionally recased, keeping the original endpapers. A paper attached to the front endpaper reads "From the author", followed by an address. [The subscribers' list at the rear accounts for about 200 copies.]. First Edition. Cloth. Very Good.

Anonymous. Tabell som visar cubic-innehallet af alla sorter fyrhuggit virke, ester dimensionerne utraknat. Carlscrona, Amiralitets-Tryckeriet 1784. 181, (1), 2 blank pages, mostly tables. (bound with): Anonymous. Kongel. Svenska maetare och wraekare ordningen af ar 1776. Carlscrona, Amiralitets-Tryckeriet 1783. 43 (1) pages, 3 (1 folded) leaf, 4 tables, 3 folded engraved plates. Cont. calf, gilt label to spine. Label with minor loss. Covers browned. Spine rubbed. Front cover with manuscript inked signature by one Aug. d'Ailly. Both works first edition. Title with manuscript initials J. H. D'A, a working copy owned by the Swedish ship-building engineer Jakob Henrik d'Ailly (1789-1858), and a further manuscript inked ownership entry by his son Aug. D'Ailly (Johan Christian August d'Ailly, 1822-1877), who constructed steamships for the Swedish navy. In 1862 he was sent to North America to learn more about constructional features of ironclads with John Ericson. Back home he constructed monitors,… Read More

New York: D. Appleton & Co, 1872. First edition. Hardcover. Orig. green pebbled cloth. Fine. 112 (2) pages. Small folio, 32 x 25 cm. Engraved frontispiece of the Anchor Line offices in New York at Bowling Green, nine more engravings and five engraved vignettes, folding map of the Anchor Line's steamship routes to the United Kingdom and Continental European ports. The publication, a souvenir gave its agents to celebrate the launch of their new steamer, "California." Six hundred of their agents were onboard for the excursion. Text provides statements by various newspapers reporting the excursion, a history of the Anchor Line, a condensed history of steam, its application to navigation, a history of steam navigation followed by a short history of locomotion beginning with railroads. Included, a listing of the Anchor Line Fleet and dimensions of each ship and when each was commissioned. The publication is dedicated to the founder of the Line, Thomas Henderson of Glasgow. An almost as published copy in… Read More

Munchen: Bruckmann Verlag, 1930. 1st edition. Hardcover. very good/no dj as issued. 192 pages with 195 b/w pictures and 24 color images. Der Ozean-Express "Bremen", Norddeutscher Lloyd Bremen, Bruckmann verlag, Ca. 1930, 8 pages intoduction in German followed by 179 pages with 195 b/w pictures and 24 color images (including 90 full-page) with captions in English and German and some text in German. Publisher's boards with red lettering and a red rendering of the Bremen ocean liner. A very good copy with a bit scuffing to the bottom of the spine and minor uneven darkening of the cream colored boards. A great document of 1920's design and technology. Ships from Hawaii.

Melbourne: Australian Scholarly Publishing. 2023. Quarto Size [approx 21x28cm]. Mint copy in a Mint Dustjacket. A New Copy. Dustjacket protected in our purpose-made plastic sleeve. Colour plates. Robust, professional packaging and tracking provided for all parcels. 300 pages. Despite Bligh’s Bounty journal being widely regarded as the most important of all of the primary documents related to the famous mutiny, the relationship between the official version of the journal (at The National Archives in London) and Bligh’s private version (at the Mitchell Library in Sydney) has never been thoroughly investigated. That surprising omission has now been comprehensively rectified with the publication of The Bounty and beyond, a meticulous comparison of the two versions of the journal by John A. Fish. Numerous surprising and important differences are revealed, particularly those relating to food and drink, and Bligh’s relationships with his officers and… Read More

Copenhagen: Royal Greenland Trade Department, 1961. Limited edition of 400 (#238/400). Introduction by Jens Rosing; Signed by Rosing. In ENGLISH and DANISH. Exterior green portfolio contains interior portfolio that holds introduction and eight lithographs of Aron's work. Exterior green paper portfolio is in Very Good condition with creasing, tearing, curling, and edgewear overall as well as an old ownership stamp on the inner flap. Interior portfolio is in Near Fine condition; it contains a printed introduction by Jens Rosing and eight pages of lithographs containing two illustrations each (for a total of 16). The interior portfolio is slightly creased at the top of the fold; lithographs and introduction are in Fine condition; upper corner on first lithograph very lightly bumped; final lithograph has small bend at top and a smudge towards the bottom. For additional information or photographs, please do not hesitate to contact us. Photos are of the set here at Barbed Wire Books.

Paris: Dupuis Dumarsais, Edit. / Magen, Libraire, 1838. 2nd Edition . Leather Bound. Good/No Jacket. 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall. Octavos. 5 Volume set. 394; 492; 546; 482; 480 pages. Each volume is dated 1838 and is stated "Seconde Edition." Hardcovers bound in three-quarter leather with marbled paper-covered boards. All volumes rebacked with modern lighter brown leather (the original leather has chipping on the boards near the spines, but with the rebacks the bindings are sturdy and can withstand confident use). Each spine has a red leather title label and a small green leather Volume number label. There is moderate wear to the bindings, which is abraded in places. Rubbing and scuffing to the boards. Spines are sound and hinges are secure. The outer edge of the text block is speckled. The interior pages show occasional spotting and foxing, and in Volume IV there is a bit of damping at the top of the text block. Collates complete with all maps and plates, including 3… Read More

Washington: Government Printing Office, 1908. First edition. Softcover. Published Washington: Government Printing Office, 1908. Small 4to. wrappers, 8" x 10 1/2", 306pp., illustrated with 25 multi-part b/w plates. Gray covers with black spine and cover titles. Old tape repairs at the spine ends, light soil/darkening to covers, pencil penmanship on rear end paper, else very good. Binding tight, pages and plates clean. Scarce. . 1st. Soft Cover. Very Good/No Jacket, As Issued. 4to.

Signed and inscribed by Henry Beetle Hough, an icon on the Vineyard. There are some small chips on the unclipped dust jacket and some light foxing, but no other issues. This is a special copy. Price includes shipping within the U.S.

1871. Inscribed by the Author Latrobe, John H.B. [1803-1891]. A Lost Chapter in the History of the Steamboat. Baltimore: [Printed by John Murphy, Printer to the Maryland Historical Society], 1871. 44 pp. Octavo (9-1/2" x 6"). Stab-stitched pamphlet in printed wrappers. Light soiling and edgewear to wrappers, a few chips to spine, presentation inscription "Joseph Patterson Esq with the very sincere regards of The Author" to head of front wrapper. Light toning to interior, light soiling to a few leaves, pp. 41-42 misbound after pp. 43-44. $150. * Only edition. A discussion of the controversy surrounding the invention of the steamboat. Nicholas J. Roosevelt had partnered with Robert Fulton and Robert R. Livingston to design, build and introduce the first steamboats to American waterways. In 1815, he claimed that he had already obtained a patent as the inventor of vertical wheels and prepared a lawsuit to seek protection; he later abandoned the suit due to the expense.

Condition: New. Extremely well preseved book that was kept in storage. No signs of wear on the book. Small wrinkle noted along the top of the back dust cover. Please see photos.
This is a very detailed and unique book with hundreds of B&W, and some color photos of naval vessels used during the time period of 1914 - 1945. It showcases a full array of patterns with narrative about each ship/pattern. Camoflage schemes used by the US Navy & British Allies and those of enemy Navies - German, Italian, and Japanese are featured in this all encompassing book.
This book is known as the most comprehensive study of the subject to date and a copy of it is in the Library of Congress.
Naval camouflage at sea was not intended to 'hide' ships, and an in-depth commentary explains the theory and development of visual deception, and the different ways in which it was intended to work at sea.
The core of the book is a listing of all the major patterns and schemes, with their colors, characteristics and function. Wherever… Read More

Henri Charriere. Papillon. 1970 William Morrow First U.S. Edition. USED. VG/G Unclipped $8.95 Dust jacket. "An international sensation – the #1 bestseller in France, England, Germany, Italy, Spain and other countries" 434 pages 6 ½ X 9 3/8. Former owner signature on title page.

Full navy calf with raised banding and gilt decoration on the spine. All edges marbled. Tan title plate with gilt lettering. Crack on front hinge.
A good clean book, a fulsome edition of Robert Southey's great work
Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté, KB (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805), also known simply as Admiral Nelson, was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics brought about a number of decisive British naval victories during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest naval commanders in history. Nelson was born into a moderately prosperous Norfolk family and joined the navy through the influence of his uncle, Maurice Suckling, a high-ranking naval officer. Nelson rose rapidly through the ranks and served with leading naval commanders of the period before obtaining his own command at the age of 20, in 1778. He developed a… Read More