The naval biography of Great Britain : consisting of historical memoirs of those officers of the British Navy who distinguished themselves during the reign of His Majesty George III. In four volumes Ralfe, J. [James] Biography,History,Pre-1850 imprints

Ralfe, J. [James]. The naval biography of Great Britain : consisting of historical memoirs of those officers of the British Navy who distinguished themselves during the reign of His Majesty George III. In four volumes. London: Published by Whitmore & Fenn, 1828. Hardback, VG internal contents with fair covers in need of repair and restoration. Half-leather, bumped to corners with small marks and blemishes. Spines decayed, the hinges cracked, with rubbing and significant areas of loss. Bindings still strong. Bookplate of Parker D. Bingham [1799-1850, an officer in the Royal Navy] to front pastedowns. vipp. + 428pp. + 528pp. + 400pp. + 542pp. + xiiipp., with two engraved frontispieces and 11 plates, some folding. Volume IV with errata pages, and an extra half-page errata slip tipped in. Occasional light tanning/foxing but generally the contents exceptionally clean and bright. Edges of the page block marbled. James Ralfe (fl. 1820 1829) was a British writer on naval history. Ralfe was first the author of The Naval Chronology of Great Britain; an Historical Account of Naval and Maritime Events from the commencement of the War in 1803 to the end of the Year 1816. He afterwards wrote The Naval Biography of Great Britain, which was originally certainly published in parts, as appears from the reprint of the Memoir of Admiral Charles Stirling (12mo, 1826), and an appendix to the Memoir of Sir James Athol Wood, containing a criticism on it by Sir Charles Brisbane, dated 29 December 1827. The appendix also contains an account of the battle of Navarino, and in the following year, 1829, Ralfe issued a pamphlet in justification of Sir Edward Codrington's conduct. The matter of the several memoirs in the Naval Biography seems to have been for the most part contributed by the subjects of them, and may be accepted as correct as to facts. The inferences are less certain, and the style is stilted and verbose to an extreme degree. As a pecuniary venture, it is said to have been unsuccessful, and in 1829 an attempt was made by some of the senior officers of the navy to raise a fund for the author's benefit. The set is now very scarce in any condition. RightWayUp Books aims to provide accurate and detailed descriptions. All images are of the actual book for sale - no stock images are ever used. Thank you for looking at this listing.