Memoires Relating To The State Of The Royal Navy Of England For Ten Years, Determin'd December 1688.
London: 1690. First Edition, First Issue. Hardcover. Near Fine. Bound in late 19th century navy blue morocco, panelled in gilt. Lettered in gilt to the spine. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers with inner dentelles. 8vo - 114,[17,Index] pp. A clean, bright and solid copy of this unique book. There is no publisher listed in this first issue as it was produced for private distribution by the author with the MDCXC date to the foot of the title page. The later first trade edition was issued with a new title page listing the publisher as "Ben. Griffin and Sam. Keble" and the date printed as 1690. Lovely engraved frontispiece of Pepys by R. White after G. Kneller. A manuscript note laid in reads - "This copy on Fine Paper, was no doubt a Present from Samuel Pepys Esqr. Secretary of the Admiralty, to Sir Robert Southwell, Clerk of the Privy Councell, whose arms have been preserved, when rebound in its present State. The Portrait after Sir Godfrey Kneller engraved by Robert White is of itself very scarce in so fine a State." Title page in red and black. Large fold-out plate at page 152 titled "A General State Of Account." Bookplate of Sir Robert Southwell to the front paste-down and a plate to the front free endpaper indicating this title as belonging to the famous Scott Library with a 1930 date. This fine copy has hand-written corrections (if not by Pepys own hand then certainly at his direction) to pages 11, 33, 39, 40, 42, 57, 70, 90, 92, 103, 120, 138, and 142. As Pepys' Diary was not first published until 1818, this volume is the first acknowledged publication during his lifetime. The title page has an added hand-written "London" to the foot of the page by another hand. Citations from: Grolier, Wither to Prior; Wing; Pforzheimer.
Price: $5,500.00