The Book Shed

Original wraps. Uncommon. First or second American edition with the 1899 Appleton hardcover. Shelf wear to tips, corners, and edges of the book, spine tender, perishing. Limited (?) to 50,000 copies. No. 3 in the International Paper Novels series for July 1899, issued monthly at six dollars per year. 379 pages frontispiece, plates, folded map 19 cm, 12mo. Rudyard Kipling had this to say: "..nor do I think that any book before has so completely covered the whole business of whalefishing, and at the same timegiven such real and new sea pictures."--letter reproduced on rear cover. "Frank Thomas Bullen (1857–1915), British author and novelist, was born of poor parents in Paddington, London, on 5 April 1857, and was educated for a few years at a dame school and Westbourne school, Paddington. At the age of 9 he left school and took up work as an errand boy. In 1869 he went to sea and travelled to all parts of the world in various capacities including that of second mate of the Harbinger and chief mate of the Day Dawn, under Capt. John R. H. Ward jun in 1879 when she was dismasted and disabled. A parallel may be drawn with Joseph Conrad's career at sea aboard Torrens 1891–1893. In 1883 he became a clerk in the Meteorological Office until 1889. His reputation was made over the publication of The Cruise of the "Cachalot" (1898); and he also wrote, amongst other books, Idylls of the Sea (1899); Sea Wrack (1903); The Call of the Deep (1907) and A Compleat Sea Cook (1912), besides many articles and essays. He lectured extensively and was highly critical of Australasia's lack of defences against what he saw as imminent naval threats from Germany and Japan. He died at Madeira on 1 March 1915."--from Wikipedia. Every effort is made to ship all books and other items within 24 hours. Clean recycled packing material will be used when possible. The Book Shed has a been a member of the Vermont Antiquarian Bookseller's Association since 1997. An online bookseller with a bookshop sensibility!