Hakluyt, Richard

FIRST EDITION, folio (276 x 180mm.), mostly Black Letter, folding engraved world map after Ortelius (Shirley 167, 333 x 485mm., backed with fine cloth), with X4 (blank), 2 pages of nineteenth-century manuscript notes on blank leaves at beginning, late nineteenth-century blue morocco gilt by Rivière, gilt edges, title soiled and repaired at inner margin, burn-hole in 3R5 affecting a few letters

Henry Cunliffe, book label, his sale in these rooms (“The Extremely Important and Valuable Library”), 14 May 1946, lot 240, £160, Maggs; Senor Alberto Dodero, his sale in these rooms (“The Celebrated Collection of Latin Americana”), 18 November 1963, lot 86, Hammond, £680

Church 139-139A; PMM 105 (second edition); Quinn 115; STC 12625; Sabin 29594; Shirley 167; Staton & Tremaine 12

the condition of this lot is as described in the catalogue description
"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."

AN ATTRACTIVE COPY WITH THE MAP, WHICH IS OFTEN MISSING, OF THE "THE MOST COMPLETE COLLECTION OF VOYAGES AND DISCOVERIES, BY LAND AS WELL AS BY SEA, AND OF THE NAUTICAL ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE ELIZABETHANS" (PMM).

This copy includes the six unpaginated Drake leaves recording his circumnavigation, inserted between pages 643 and 644 ("The famous voyage of Sir Francis Drake into the South Sea, and there hence about the whole Globe of the Earth"), which were evidently printed after the rest of the book had been completed. They are present in most, but not all copies, and may have been added a few years after publication, perhaps due to censorship or to Drake's disgrace after his failed Portuguese expedition.

The account of Bowes's embassy to Russia (p.491) is in its second state ("A briefe discourse of the voyage of Sir Jerome Bowes... printed this second time"). This substitution is thought to have occurred at the behest of the Muscovy Company, fearful that Bowes's original narrative might be prejudicial to its future dealings with the Tsar (see Payne, Richard Hakluyt, 2008).