Log of the Centurion. Based on the Original Papers of Captain Philip Saumarez on board H.M.S. Centurion, Lord Anson's Flagship during his Circumnavigation 1740-44

HEAPS, Leo,

ISBN 10: 024610581X / ISBN 13: 9780246105813

Published by Hart-Davis, MacGibbon, LONDON, 1973

About this Item

*PLEASE SEE FIVE ACCOMPANYING IMAGES* FIRST EDITION, First Printing, 1973 . Heavy quarto; blue faux-leather boards with striking blind-impressed design, gilt details to spine. Bright, clean and square. Maps to eps. 264pp, stylishly designed and illustrated in b/w, with additional colour plates. No marks or inscriptions, pages with light age-toning. (VG+) Dustwrapper complete and unclipped with price discreetly erased. Spine browning a little, folds rubbed to white in places, otherwise complete and without loss. (VG-). Overall a sound, decent copy. Now protected and enhanced with clear, removable sleeve. FREE p&p within the U.K. Additional, appropriate postage will be requested from buyers outside the U.K. (25% of profits from all FARRAGO sales donated to the Motor Neurone Disease Association).

Seller Inventory # 0479

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Log of the Centurion. Based on the Original Papers of Captain Philip Saumarez on board H.M.S. Centurion, Lord Anson's Flagship during his Circumnavigation 1740-44
• Publisher: Hart-Davis, MacGibbon, LONDON
• Publication Date: 1973
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 024610581X
• ISBN 13: 9780246105813
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good

About this title

Synopsis

Fascinated by the expeditions of Sir Francis Drake and Captain James Cook?

Then you’ll love this account of the Centurion’s circumnavigation of the globe, one of the greatest accomplishments in the history of maritime exploration and naval warfare.

In 1740, George Anson and his fleet set off to harass Spanish commerce in the Pacific and attack towns on the coasts of Chile and Peru.

Four years later, over half the men had died and of the seven ships which left Portsmouth only the Centurion had completed its objective of attacking Spanish possessions around the globe.

Although this journey came at the cost of numerous lives and ships, the Centurion had succeeded in capturing the biggest prize of all time, the Acapulco galleon.

Captain Philip Saumarez kept a daily record of the voyage around the world in his four log books, which along with a wealth of letters and documents give brilliant insight into life aboard these ships.

Leo Heaps has compiled and edited these manuscripts to provide a complete chronicle of the expedition which saw men decimated by scurvy, mutinies among marooned sailors, ships battered by mountainous waves around Cape Horn and eventual glory in the capture of the gold-laden Nuestra Señora de la Covadonga.

Log of the Centurion is a unique account of a daring maritime expedition across the high seas of the globe in the mid-eighteenth century.

“It is a tribute to her officers that she not only captured the greatest prize at sea, but that she returned at all.” Christopher Lloyd, former Professor of History at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich

“It is an absorbing tale … The merit of this book lies in its realistic evocation of the mid-18th century. We have fine descriptions of China and the delicate negotiations conducted with the Manchus for supplies and repairs. Patagonia, Juan Fernandez (Crusoe’s island), Madeira, and other exotic places are vividly described.” Regis A. Courtemanche, History: Reviews of New Books