Hakluyt, Richard

SECOND EDITION, FIRST ISSUE, 3 volumes bound in 2, folio (294 x 185mm.), (vol.1) xxiv, 620pp.; (vol.2) xvi, 335, 24-204pp.; (vol.3) xvi, 868pp., Black Letter, folding engraved Wright-Molyneux world map in two sheets joined measuring c.636 x 434mm. (see footnote), red straight-grained morocco attributed to Charles Lewis, spines and covers extensively decorated in blind, double raised bands, wide gilt turn-ins with matching inside joints, brown drab endpapers, gilt edges, Grenville arms in gilt on the covers, three tears in map neatly repaired, small burnhole in Aaa3 (vol.1) and Qqq5 (vol.2) and Vvv6 (vol.3), very occasional slight soiling or staining


With the very rare Wright-Molyneux world map, found in very few copies. The Grenville-Crawford-Rosebery copy.

This second edition is much expanded compared with the first (see lot 578). Hakluyt himself never travelled further afield than France, but he met or corresponded with many of the great explorers, navigators and cartographers including Drake, Raleigh, Gilbert, Frobisher, Ortelius and Mercator.



In addition to long and significant descriptions of the Americas in volume 3, the work also contains accounts of Russia, Scandinavia, the Mediterranean, Turkey, Middle East, Persia, India, south-east Asia, and Africa.



This copy is the first issue of the second edition with volume 1 dated 1598 and the title mentioning "the famous victorie atchieved at the citie of Cadiz". The account of the Earl of Essex's voyage to Cadiz, which was ordered to be suppressed in 1599, and therefore is sometimes missing, is present in this copy (pp.607-619 in volume 1) in its original printing.



The Wright-Molyneux map is based on Mercator’s projection, which Mercator expected would be a valuable tool to navigators, and this map was one of the first to use it. However Mercator gave no explanation as to the underlying mathematics used in the construction of the map and it was left to Edward Wright to publish this important information in Certain Errors in Navigation Detected and Corrected (1599), hence the projection sometimes being called the Wright Projection by English mapmakers. The map is linked to Emery Molyneux whose globe of 1592 provided most of the geographical information. Hakluyt’s use of this map in his publication was to show “so much of the world as hath beene hetherto discouered, and is comme to our knowledge”.

The map is in the second state with a cartouche in the lower left-hand side describing the discoveries of Sir Francis Drake. When this copy of The Principal Navigations last appeared at auction in the Rosebery sale in 1933 it did not contain the map. The last copy to appear at auction with the map was Lothian copy in 1932.



…he does smile his
face into more lines than is in the new map with the
augmentation of the Indies: you have not seen such
a thing as 'tis…



Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, Act 3, Scene 2

Thomas Grenville (1755-1846), who bequeathed 20,000 volumes to the British Museum (this copy is a duplicate), arms on cover and book label
John William Cole, bookplate
Earl of Crawford, Bibliotheca Lindesiana, sale in these rooms 13-24 June 1887, lot 1004 (with binding attributed to C. Lewis), sold to Bain
Archibald Philip, Earl of Rosebery (1847-1929), bookplate (also neat Barnbougle Castle stamp on titles), sale in these rooms 26-30 June 1933, lot 704, sold to Edwards

PMM 105; Sabin 29595-97-98; STC 12626 With the very rare Wright-Molyneux world map, found in very few copies. The Grenville-Crawford-Rosebery copy.

This second edition is much expanded compared with the first (see lot 578). Hakluyt himself never travelled further afield than France, but he met or corresponded with many of the great explorers, navigators and cartographers including Drake, Raleigh, Gilbert, Frobisher, Ortelius and Mercator.

In addition to long and significant descriptions of the Americas in volume 3, the work also contains accounts of Russia, Scandinavia, the Mediterranean, Turkey, Middle East, Persia, India, south-east Asia, and Africa.

This copy is the first issue of the second edition with volume 1 dated 1598 and the title mentioning "the famous victorie atchieved at the citie of Cadiz". The account of the Earl of Essex's voyage to Cadiz, which was ordered to be suppressed in 1599, and therefore is sometimes missing, is present in this copy (pp.607-619 in volume 1) in its original printing.

The Wright-Molyneux map is based on Mercator’s projection, which Mercator expected would be a valuable tool to navigators, and this map was one of the first to use it. However Mercator gave no explanation as to the underlying mathematics used in the construction of the map and it was left to Edward Wright to publish this important information in Certain Errors in Navigation Detected and Corrected (1599), hence the projection sometimes being called the Wright Projection by English mapmakers. The map is linked to Emery Molyneux whose globe of 1592 provided most of the geographical information. Hakluyt’s use of this map in his publication was to show “so much of the world as hath beene hetherto discouered, and is comme to our knowledge”.

The map is in the second state with a cartouche in the lower left-hand side describing the discoveries of Sir Francis Drake. When this copy of The Principal Navigations last appeared at auction in the Rosebery sale in 1933 it did not contain the map. The last copy to appear at auction with the map was Lothian copy in 1932.

…he does smile his
face into more lines than is in the new map with the
augmentation of the Indies: you have not seen such
a thing as 'tis…

Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, Act 3, Scene 2

A good copy
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