Histoire d’angleterre

1748 · 493 — London, John and Paul Knapton in Ludgate Street, 1748. This is a subscriber copy, so the real first edition of Anson's book. A brick of a book with 215 x 260 mm, 80 mm thick. 33 unpaginated pp. at the beginning, 417 (2) pp. Contemporary thick binding of a deep purple hue, four nerves on the spine, three black title pieces with author's name, book title and year in gold print characters. Includes the list of subscribers, p. 319 incorrectly designated as p. 219, two pages of instructions to the binder at the end of the book. With 42 copper plates: 14 maps and 28 engravings, all folding (38 having dimensions close to the book itself or to unfold horizontally and 3 being large folding maps). Comes with a sliding protective case. This is a copy of George Anson's account of his circumnavigation voyage. Complete with all the features which are often missing or signal a later edition. A lively tale of hardship, courage, curiosity, risk-taking and doing the impossible: overtaking Spain on the Peru coast, taking a Spanish galleon and completing the travel around the world with an awesome booty and an epic story to tell. The victory of Anson's Centurion launched the age of British dominance over the oceans and paved the way for a Victorian empire where "the sun never sets."