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GARDINER, Midshipman Allen Francis: : HUNTING THE ESSEX: A Journal of the Voyage of HMS Phoebe 1813-1814. [Edited by John S. Rieske.]

UK.BARNSLEY,S.YORKS,SEAFORTH PUBLISHING/PEN & SWORD BOOKS LTD.,2013.

ISBN 9781848321748.

UK,12mo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.FINE+/FINE+.No owner inscrptn and no price-clip to dw/dj. Bright,crisp,clean,glossy laminated,wrap-around colour painting (detail from ) illustrated dw/dj,with b/w lettering; with negligible shelf-wear or creasing to edges and corners - no nicks or tears present. Top+fore-edges bright and clean; contents bright,tight,clean,solid and sound - pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners,appears unread - apart from my own collation.Bright,crisp,clean, sharp-cornered,publisher's original plain dark green cloth boards with bright,crisp, blocked gilt letters to spine/backstrip and immaculate plain white endpapers.UK,12mo HB +dw/dj,1st edn,v-viii+1-152pp [paginated] includes contents list/table,editor's preface,a note on transcription,an introduction by Professor Andrew Lambert, list of illustrations,title separator page; plus [unpaginated] half-title with b/w map with keys ('Essex' & 'Phoebe' voyage tracks) to reverse,and title page. In March 1813 the British frigate 'Phoebe' set out on a secret mission that would involve sailing halfway around the world to attack American settlements in the Pacific North West.The War of 1812 had begun badly for the Americans with a disastrous invasion of Canada,but against all expectations the infant US Navy had scored significant victories at sea.The most strategically important of these was the campaign by the frigate USS Essex that threatened to annihilate the lucrative British whaling trade in the South Pacific. Therefore,'Phoebe' was diverted to hunt down and desroy this highly successful commerce-raider. After an epic voyage 'Phoebe' tracked her prey to neutral Valparaiso where the American frigate was blockaded.A cat-and- mouse game that lasted weeks ended with an attempted break-out and a bloody battle in which 'Essex' was captured.The American captain,David Porter,published a self- serving account of his actions which ever since has mired the battle in controversy, so this British naval eyewitness account is an important counter-balance,refuting Porter's wilder claims.It is one of the lesser-known campaigns of a war which is currently celebrating its bicentenary (then 2013),but its inherent drama inspired the plot of Patrick O'Brian's novel 'The Far Side of the World',although in its movie adaptation 'Master & Commander' the American frigate is transformed into a French privateer. Allen Francis Gardiner was a Royal Navy Midshipman at the time he compiled his journal.He had gone to sea relatively late by contemporary standards,but was better educated as a consequence.He was to enjoy a modestly successful naval career reaching the rank of Commander in 1826,but he is better known to posterity for his later career as an evangelical missionary in Africa and South America.He died in Patagonia in 1851,not far from the track 'Phoebe' had taken around Cape Horn in 1813. John S. Rieske,a retired American academic with an interest in maritime history, discovered and purchased the manuscript of this unpublished journal by a Midshipman who served in the 'Phoebe'.Recognising its historical significance,he transcribed and edited it for publication,but sadly died before he cold see it in print. Andrew Lambert is the Laughton Professor of Naval History at King's College,London. Among his many highly regarded books is a revisionist naval history of the War of 1812,'The Challenge',published in 2012. SEAFORTH PUBLISHING is devoted to producing the very best reference books and narrative histories about ships and the sea. Please contact seller,because of the lighter weight of this item for correct, insured shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! ** N.B. ALL buyers please note,stocks' actual shipping/P+p costs are adjusted and any difference is refunded,after order's receipt and before the order's despatch,especially if the item(s) are offered either P+p included/FREE. ** This item offered P+p included.Offer available UK only,unless indicated otherwise. ** ** N.B. US/Canada customers please be aware: Standard AIRMAIL postage from UK to these destinations can now cost more than the price of the book! If speed is not of the essence,then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. anything from a 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always.

UK,12mo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.
Not SIGNED.

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