- 857
Martin, John
Estimate
400 - 600 GBP
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Description
- An Account of the Natives of the Tonga Islands, in the South Pacific Ocean... compiled and arranged from the extensive communications of Mr. William Mariner. London: Printed for the Author, 1817
- paper
FIRST EDITION, 2 volumes, 8vo (215 x 125mm.), (vol.1) lx, 460pp.; (vol.2) [ii], 412, ccxii pp., one engraved plate, contemporary straight-grained calf, red and black labels, dark green drab endpapers
Literature
Forbes 467; Hill (2004) 1075 (under Mariner); cf. Kroepelien 819
Condition
A very good copy
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
"William Mariner was a young English sailor on the Port au Prince, ostensibly a whaler but actually a "private ship of war"... At Tonga the crew mutinied. Most were massacred by the natives, but Mariner came under the protection of a chief and lived there as his adopted son for four years. Mariner's meticulous observations on Tonga make this a key historical text on the history and culture of that island group... This narrative was cited by Lord Byron as one of the two sources for his poem "The Island, or Christian and his Comrades", a romanticized narrative of the Bounty mutiny" (Forbes).