Practical Navigation; or an Introduction to the Whole Art, Containing the Doctrine of Plain and Spherical Triangles, Plain, Mercator, Great Circle Sailing; and Astronomical Problems. The Use of Diver Instruments; as also of the Plain Chart, Mercator's Chart, and both Globes. Sundry Useful Tables in Navigation: and a Table of 1,000 Logariths, and of the Logarithm Sines, Tangents and Secants. [with Table of Logarithms]

Hardcover. Bound in full leather, showing every bit of its age. Boards bowed and leather peeled off from corner and scored, scuffed and worn elsewhere. Spine worn thin, with leather mostly peeled away to reveal 4 cords and edges of the signatures. Front board attached by only one frail cord. Rear board attached by both cords. A pair of lightly scored circular or hex patterns on the front cover, made with compass and point. First page present is the title page, so any frontismatter is missing. Title page dated 1717. 264 pages, followed by a separate title page (dated 1708) for the Logarithmic tables. There are about 100 pages of them, printed in slightly stiffer paper than the first section of the book. There are 5 folding plates (numbered 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). Inside front cover entirely covered with handwritten notes in a couple different hands, most quite faded and a challenge to read. One that is legible says John Lambeth His Book. Title page has 3 additional ownership names, one of which is Robinson. Another is William Britt. There is a blank page after page 61, on which is written "Meridith Lambeth His Book February 4th 1747/8 Containing." The same Lambeth has signed again in the margin of page 233, dated May ye 5th 1750. Inside back cover has yet another ownership name, John Gray, from July 1722. Text block appears to be complete, though cropped somewhat close, with only a scant quarter inch margin at the header, and slightly more below. There is discoloration, several pages echoing a stain, mild foxing, and signs of general use throughout. Lots of geometrical diagrams in the text. Tide charts, moon phases for 1723, more. Includes Longitude and Latitude of ports all over the world including Boston, New York, California landmarks, and many more, reflecting the detail mapping of the known world in 1717. Large folding plate showing the coast of Africa and Portugal. Some tattered page edges and some weak folds on the plates. Seems to have first been published in 1669, several more times through the 1680s and another in 1705, before this 171 edition -- though it's not clear when the Longitudinal tables were added. Certainly navigational references to Boston, NY, Cape Hateras, etc., would not have been in the earliest editions. Please email with questions or to request photos. Measures 6 x 8 inches.…