The Universal Code of Signals for the Mercantile Marine of all Nations, by the Late Captain Marryat, R.N. with a Selection of Sentences adapted for Convoys, and Systems of Geometrical, Night, & Fog Signals.

Renowned as a story-teller of the sea, Marryat was elected to the Royal Society in 1819 mainly on the strength of this adaptation of Sir Home Popham's system of signaling, first published 1817. "This earned him a large and regular income." (ODNB) He later received the Légion d'Honneur from the king of France "for services rendered to science and navigation". "The copyright of this Code of Signals, by which the Mercantile Marine of the whole world has so greatly benefited, became, from a very early period, the property of the late Mr. J. M. Richardson. The Edition of 1841 was the last edited by the original inventor. but since then five large Editions has been issued, each greatly extended and improved." (Preface.) Front endpapers with request that "Owners and Captains of Vessels desirous" of having their official number or names included to apply to the publishers, and advertising the publication of French, Spanish and Italian translations and imminent issue of German and Norwegian editions, and the availability of the "Flags used in this Code of Signals". Bound in at the rear is a leaf with the "Royal Humane Society's Directions for the Recovery of the Apparently Drowned." Marryat had been awarded "the Society's honorary medallion in 1821 for his design for a lifeboat and for his gallantry in saving life at sea." None of the editions of the Code are common: two copies only on Library Hub (Oxford and NLS), WorldCat records just three copies in the US. NMM has a copy. Octavo. (244 x 154mm) With 8 chromolithographic plates of plates, one of them double-page of "Maritime Merchant Flags of all Nations." Original blue embossed cloth, rebacked with the original spine laid down, title gilt to the front board. Contemporary armorial bookplate of [Col.] Charles A. W. Troyte to the front pastedown together with his pencilled initials. Lightly browned, one plate a little torn, now repaired, no loss, cloth a little rubbed, sunned at the spine.…