An Epitome, Historical and Statistical, Descriptive of the Royal Naval Service of England. With the assistance of Lieutenant Lawford Miles, R.N. Embellished with eight highly-finished, coloured, engraved views of shipping, by W. Knell, besides fourteen coloured illustrations of the flags, pendants, and ensigns, as worn by Her Majesty's ships and vessels in commission.

First edition. A most attractive work containing really spirited plates, with excellent colouring, engraved by Newton Smith Fielding after William Adolphus Knell. Knell had originally worked in "the popular Dutch seventeenth-century marine style, [but] in mid-career he shifted to an English manner to maintain his share of the market. The results were lighter and less heavy-handed pictures marked by translucent seas and broader handling in the skies. He specialized in inshore scenes of England, France, and the Low Countries" (ODNB). With the simple engraved bookplate of "Conygham": Albert Denison (formerly Conyngham), first Baron Londesborough (1805-1860), "enthusiastic antiquary", connoisseur of the arts and politician, "on 4 September 1849 he had taken the sole name of Denison, in lieu of that of Conyngham, to comply with the will of his uncle the banker and MP William Joseph Denison, whose enormous wealth he inherited" (ODNB). Abbey, Life, 339; Maggs Bibliotheca Nautica 2678; Tooley 329. Octavo. 8 hand-coloured aquatints, 14 hand-coloured illustrations of flags in the text. Original grey-green diaper-grain cloth, ornamental blind blocking on sides, gilt motif of the stern of a ship of the line on front cover, neatly rebacked with the original red skiver spine laid down, yellow coated endpapers. Spine a little rubbed, some wear to corners otherwise a very good copy.…