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perhaps the best single authority on the Central America of the period’ (DAB). Travels in Central America, Particularly in Nicaragua was first published the previous year under the title Nicaragua; Its People, Scenery, Monuments, and the Proposed Interoceanic Canal, and the work is described by Griffin as, ‘A mid-century classic on Nicaragua including travel notes; data on physical features; sketches of personalities; comments on social customs, politics and archaeological remains, and an extended discussion of the canal project’.
It seems very likely that the J.R. McClean who previously owned this copy was the civil engineer John Robinson McClean MP, FRS, FRAS, who established an important practice, undertook commissions for the British Government and Napoleon III, and (as a member of the Scientific International Commission for Cutting through the Isthmus of Suez) helped to prepare a report on the Suez Canal for the Viceroy of Egypt. In 1855 (shortly after the publication of this edition) McClean had travelled to Egypt with other members of the Commission to survey the site, and they had published their report the following year; this led to an exchange of correspondence between Ferdinand de Lesseps (who was contracted to build the canal) and McClean and others, which was printed as Correspondence Relative to the Isthmus of Suez Canal (London: 1858).
Abbey, Travel 674; Sabin 89980; for the 1st ed., cf.: Cundall, West Indies 941; Griffin 4543; Hill II, pp. 580-581; Larned 4019.
231. SS GREAT BRITAIN. The “Great Britain” 1843 - 1943. [No Publisher] [1943].
£98
8vo., original printed grey wrappers, stapled as issued. With 4 illustrations. Spot on lower wrapper, otherwise a very good copy.
First edition. A rare 6 page history of Brunel’s SS Great Britain written to mark the centenary of the ship’s launch. By 1943 the SS Great Britain was “in honorable retirement” in Sparrow Cove on the Falkland Islands, and this account is signed “K.B., Stanley, 18 July 1943.”
This account mentions the attempt in 1936 to launch a fund to restore the ship, but the costs involved were too high and the project was abandoned. It was not unil 1970 that SS Great Britain was returned to the Bristol dry dock where she was first built and restored.
A scarce ephemeral piece of maritime history by a Falkland Islander who clearly had a fondness for the great ship languishing unloved off the Islands.
At the height of the Second World War, the centenary of a scuppered ship was not an event widely marked, although she had already added to the war effort. On 13th December 1939, HMS Exeter, HMS Cumberland, HMA Ajax and HMS Achilles found the German Pocket Battleship Admiral Graf Spee at the Battle of the River Plate. Exeter was forced to withdraw from the battle after taking severe damage and she limped to the Falkland Islands for emergency repairs. Iron plates from the SS Great Britain’s hull were used to repair Exeter during, enabling her to make it to Devonport for full repairs. The SS Great Britain also had souvenirs made from her timbers and sold to make money to build Spitfires at the start of the war.
232. STANISLAVSKY, Constantin. My Life in Art. Geoffrey Bles. 1945.
£148 4to., original cloth (without dust wrapper). A very good copy.
Fourth edition. Edith Evans’s copy with her bold signature on front free endpaper. Evans wasn’t a major devotee of Stanislavsky’s approach, considering it overly intellectual, “Too much explaining. I couldn’t be doing with all that. I have to find the truth of a part - that bit I agree with - but the rest, crickey, I didn’t know what he was getting at”.(Bryan Forbes Ned’s Girl).
233. STEIN, Rick. Rick Stein’s Seafood Lovers’ Guide. Recipes inspired by a coastal journey. BBC. 2000.
£48 4to., original cloth with dust wrapper. A fine copy.
First edition inscribed by the author “To Sarah Happy Cooking, Rick Stein”.
234. STEVENSON, Robert Louis. The Merry Men and Other Tales and Fables. Chatto & Windus 1887.
£198
8vo., original decorative cloth. A little rubbing to cloth otherwise a very good copy.
First edition. Collection of short fiction including several fine supernatural tales, “Will o’ the Mill,” “Markheim” and “Thrawn Janet,” as well as “Olalla,” the latter “one of the best horror stories in English.”
235 236 235. STOKER, Fred. A Book of Lilies. Penguin Books. 1943. £50
8vo. Publisher’s paper-covered boards; pp. 32, 16 colour plates by Lilian Snelling; very good
indeed.Provenance: inscribed to Mrs Brown from the writer and botanical art historian Wilfrid Blunt : “A small souvenir of many/ pleasant half-hours/ among your books”.
First edition.
236. STYRON, William. The Confessions of Nat Turner. A Novel. New York. Random House.. 1967.
£398
8vo., original cloth with dust wrapper. Small chip to foot of spine of wrapper, otherwise a very good copy.
First edition inscribed on the title-page by Styron to film producer, actor and writer Bryan Forbes “To Bryan, Happy Memories and fond greetings, Always, Bill S. London ‘80”.
Additionally inscribed to Forbes on front-free endpaper by Ray Simon “Bryan, I hope you will share my feelings - ‘dy hot - may this please you- As always, Ray. Oct 11 1967”. Ray Simon worked as Forbes’s Production Designer on Deadfall which was shot in Spain.
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