1807 2nd Edition of The New American Practical Navigator: An Epitome of Navigation, Containing all the Tables Necessary...
Newburyport, MA: Edmund M. Blumt, 1807. 2nd Edition. Octavo. Very Good. Item #18422
A lovely 1807 2nd Edition of what Howes calls the "First accurate navigator's guide' and an institution in Nautical writing, possibly the most important navigator in American history."
Newburyport editions are very scarce as many were burned in the Great Newburyport Fire of 1811, after which printing was moved to New York City.
"Often termed the greatest book in all the history of navigation, this intellectual achievement of our early culture was indispensable to the maritime and commercial expansion of the nineteenth century" (Grolier).
Widely regarded as the most influential work in the history of navigation. Bowditch published his first revision of the navigator by J.H. Moore in 1799. Discovering more than 8000 errors, in the work of Moore, Bowditch decided to publish his own work, "The New American Practical Navigator", in 1802 and it quickly became the preeminent and most used work on celestial and maritime navigation. Bowditch's work has been updated and published every year since and is still published today.
This 1807 revised edition features additional improvements from the 1802 edition with more than 80 additional pages. 679pp + ads.
Original leather binding. Square tight binding. Clean interior, save for the front endpapers, which have tremendous 1809 historical provenance. The Book was purchased by one Samuel Dunning at Brunswick, Maine. Mr Dunning was a seaman, possibly a Captain, and wrote his ownership information on the front endpapers while at sea. The Maquoit Cemetery at Brunswick has several Dunnings buried there, but none are Samuel. It is reasonable to assume that, as this piece was originally purchased in Brunswick, he was of this family.
Mr. Dunning wrote his name in neat handwriting on the verso of the partially separated front endpaper along with the fact that he purchased this navigator in Brunswick. On the facing page he notes again that this is his property and even gives the longitudinal and latitudinal coordinates while at sea where he wrote this information.
Boards and edges with rubbing and wear. Corners curled. Black spine label with titling in gilt, rubbed and worn, with most of gilt rubbed off and a few chips to label. Both endpapers with large chips, with the front endpaper chip affecting Dunning's writing along the left side. Folding map foxed with ancient tape repairs. Sporadic foxing. Spine has the year "1807" and the roman numeral "II" handwritten in black ink.
Campbell, 5; Howes, B657
Overall an uncommon and early Newburyport edition of this classic and important nautical work.
Price: $1,200.00