History of the Voyages and Discoveries Made in the North. Translated from the German of John Reinhold Forster and Elucidated by Several New and Original Maps John Reinhold Forster

***SUPERB*** THE MOST COMPLETE AND BEAUTIFULLY BOUND COPY I SEE FOR SALE, ANYWHERE. History of the Voyages and Discoveries Made in the North. Translated from the German of John Reinhold Forster and Elucidated by Several New and Original Maps ***Rebound by the renowned Bayntun Bindery in Bath, England between 1977-1992. In stunningly sumptuous full crushed Levant morocco fine binding, the most luxurious and prized of leather bindings. With the provenance of Eric Gerald Stanley, distinguished professor at the University of Oxford and close friend of J.R.R. Tolkien*** Importance: Cornerstone work by Forster (chief naturalist for the Resolution on Cook's second voyage), chronicling the history of northern hemispheric exploration and the search for both a Northwest and Northeast passage. Includes chapters on the voyages of principal seafaring countries from 1497 to 1780. Condition: VERY GOOD antiquarian condition, collated and complete. Published in London by G.G.J. and J. Robinson in 1786. True first edition in English. This magnificent copy was bound by hand by world-famous bindery Bayntun-Riviere of Bath, England using the same antique tools and refined craftsmanship that it has since the Victorian age--over 130 years ago. It is an example of some of the finest, most luxurious binding that Bayntun offered in the latter half of the 20th century. In stunning full Levant rich brown morocco fine binding: boards with an exceptionally large crushed grain pattern and single gilt filet paneling; spine features five gilt bordered raised bands with two gilt lettered morocco spine labels and gilt tooled clipper ship emblems in the other compartments; all edges marbled; turn-ins tooled with a single gilt filet. Signed by Bayntun on front blank flyleaf. Quarto, 11.5" x 9.25". Collated and impressively complete, including blanks, half-title, errata and publisher ads (often lacking one or more of these pages): [viii], xvi, 489, [19]. Includes all three engraved folding map plates as called for. Beautifully wide margins (bottom margin and fore-margin measure 2"). The first English edition of this foundational work documents the search for the north-west and north-east passages from the earliest recorded explorations to 1780. The explorations include those of Cabot, Verazzano, Frobisher, Davis, Weymouth, Hudson, Fox, James, Cartier, Cook, Clerke, and others. PROVENANCE Oxford University Professor Eric Stanley (1923--2018) was born in Germany and moved to England with his family in 1934 to escape Nazi persecution. He was appointed Oxford's Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor in 1977, a post he held for 15 years before being elected to emeritus status, succeeding his good friend JRR Tolkien in that role. Over his career he had more than 600 pieces of work published and played a key advisory role in the revision of the Oxford English Dictionary and was considered a towering figure in Medieval literature. OVERALL CONDITION: VERY GOOD. Refreshed endpapers and blanks. Frontispiece bound at rear. Exterior and Binding: FINE. Square spine, firm hinges and joints, sharp corners. Leather is supple, glossy, rich in color, unfaded and vibrant. Presents beautifully on the shelf. Trivial rubbing. Interior: VERY GOOD. Text block is generally clean with mostly white (untoned) pages but with foxing throughout, from scattered and light to moderate and heavier in a few places, particularly near plates. Offsetting from plates. No marginalia, worming or water dampening. Signs of handling: occasional smudge or crease, a few bent corners, multiple page margins with feathering and some slight loss or trimming of edges. Some edge wear and small tears to margins of a few folding maps. Incorrect paging as called for: p. 106 appears as 610, 424 as 244. Ex Libris sticker of Eric Stanley on front pastedown. Partially erased pencil writing on FFEP. Overall, an exceptionally bound, complete copy of a cornerstone navigation and exploration first edition.