A Journal of a Voyage to the South Seas, in His Majesty's ship, the 'Endeavour'. Faithfully transcribed from the Papers of the late Sydney Parkinson, Draughtsman to Joseph Banks, Esq. on his late Expedition, with Dr Solander, round the World
London, Printed for Stanfield Parkinson, the Editor, 1773.
Imperial quarto, xxiv (last blank), 212, [2] (errata and directions to the binder) pages plus a frontispiece portrait, a map and 26 plates.
Recent antique-style full calf, retaining the early sides (displaying genial signs of age), the old endpapers (a little blemished), and probably retaining the early boards, judging by the profile of the corners; minimal foxing; some offsetting from the plates (as usual); one plate with a sealed tear in the blank margin; a clean, crisp, wide-margined copy, in excellent condition overall.
An unauthorised account of Cook's first voyage by Sydney Parkinson, the young natural history draughtsman engaged by Joseph Banks. '[Parkinson] died at Batavia of dysentery 26th January, 1771, on the homeward voyage. His brother Stanfield, to anticipate Hawkesworth's account of the voyage, hurriedly published this journal. After a few copies had appeared the further issue was stopped by an injunction in Chancery, on the score of infringement of Dr Hawkesworth's rights, and of material belonging to Mr Banks' (Hocken, page 13). The superb engraved plates that illustrate this lavish publication (chiefly portraits of South Sea islanders and views from the voyage) were produced from drawings done by Parkinson in his spare time and claimed by Stanfield on the return of the voyage. Parkinson's work on the voyage, in particular his numerous botanical drawings and watercolours, was retained by Banks, and formed the basis of his 'Florilegium'. Beddie 712; Hocken, page 12; Hill 1308.
Item #106146
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