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Naval Achievements of Great Britain from the Year 1793 to 1817, The
London: Printed for J. Jenkins… by L. Harrison, 1817. Item #04313
One of the Finest Early Copies of One of the Greatest English Naval Color-Plate Books
First Issue with Pre-Publication Watermarks and Fifty-Five Superb Hand-Colored Aquatints
JENKINS, James. The Naval Achievements of Great Britain from the Year 1793 to 1817. London: Printed for J. Jenkins… by L. Harrison, [1817].
First edition, first issue with pre-publication watermarks.
Large quarto (13 7/8 x 11 5/16 inches; 352 x 287 mm.). xii pp. (including dedication, introduction, list of plates, lacking the list of subscribers) and [74] leaves of descriptive text. Engraved title with hand-colored vignette, fifty-five magnificent hand-colored aquatint plates engraved by T. Sutherland, J. Baily, and J. Jeakes after Thomas Whitcombe and Nicholas Pocock, and one uncolored folding plate with plans of the Bombardment of Algiers and the Battle of Trafalgar. Text watermarked J. Whatman 1812; twelve plates watermarked J. Whatman 1811 and two plates watermarked J. Whatman 1816.
Contemporary half red roan over marbled boards, spine with five double raised bands, ruled in blind and lettered in gilt. Armorial bookplate of William Hutton.
A remarkably handsome, fresh, and unusually tall early copy of one of the masterpieces of the English color-plate book, preserving exceptionally brilliant contemporary hand-coloring and broad, virtually untrimmed margins. The dramatic naval engagements—including the destruction of the French fleet at Toulon, the capture of La Tribune, the Battle of Cabareta Point, the Bombardment of Algiers, and the celebrated series of Trafalgar plates—are among Thomas Whitcombe's finest marine compositions and remain some of the most visually striking aquatints of the Napoleonic era. The rich coloring of the nocturnal battle scenes, with their luminous explosions, smoke-filled skies, and brilliantly illuminated ships, is particularly impressive.
This copy is of special bibliographical interest as a genuine first issue, with the text and plates bearing pre-publication Whatman watermarks. Abbey noted that the engraved title vignette was issued uncolored in the earliest copies and colored only in later issues, making the present example - an unquestionably early issue with a beautifully hand-colored title vignette - an unusual and desirable variant.
Issued shortly after the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars, The Naval Achievements of Great Britain celebrates the succession of British naval victories that established Britain's command of the seas between 1793 and 1817. The magnificent aquatints, executed after paintings by Thomas Whitcombe and Nicholas Pocock, combine historical accuracy with extraordinary dramatic effect and rank among the finest maritime color plates published during the golden age of English aquatint.
Thomas Frognall Dibdin considered the work one of Jenkins's most ambitious productions, while Tooley observed that it is "more sought after than the Martial Achievements" and noted that truly early copies must be identified by their pre-publication watermarks. Abbey likewise warned collectors that later impressions continued to be printed well into the nineteenth century, making early issues such as the present example increasingly difficult to obtain.
An exceptionally attractive and unusually early copy of one of the great monuments of British naval history and one of the finest English color-plate books of the Regency period.
Abbey, Life 337; Bobins II, 360; Tooley 282.
Price: $14,500.00