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Captain Scott's Message to England -
1913 - St. Catherine's Press, London - First Edition
A nice copy of this memorial to Scott, containing ‘Scott’s Last Message’ quoting from the last pages of Scott’s diary, obituaries and tipped-in photographs of Scott, Oates and Bowers,; a photograph of a ‘Group of Officers on board the “Discovery”’ ; the patriotic poem ‘England’s Debt’, followed by ‘A Brief Record of the Dead
Normally found in poor condition.
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Price HK$ 2,000
1913 - St. Catherine's Press, London - First Edition
A nice copy of this memorial to Scott, containing ‘Scott’s Last Message’ quoting from the last pages of Scott’s diary, obituaries and tipped-in photographs of Scott, Oates and Bowers,; a photograph of a ‘Group of Officers on board the “Discovery”’ ; the patriotic poem ‘England’s Debt’, followed by ‘A Brief Record of the DeadNormally found in poor condition.
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Price HK$ 2,000
Cadet to Commodore -
Albert B. Armitage
1925 - Cassell and Company, London - First Edition
‘This fine personal record shows us the spirit of the British Merchant Service in peace and war, and repeats the unchanging call of the sea. Late Commodore of the P. & 0. Co.'s fleet, Captain Armitage (1864-1943) was not too late, in his early days, to learn the hard discipline of sails, " to shoot the sun," and take a trick at the wheel. Going " into steam," he rose rapidly in rank and took part in two Polar expeditions, with Scott on the Discovery Expedition as second in command, and on the Jackson-Harmsworth Expedition to meet up with Nansen.
Here are amusing experiences of passengers, royal or otherwise. We like the alluring advertisement of a small steamship company—" A Surgeon, a Stewardess and an Experienced Cow." The cow, -presumably, knew all about the crying needs of infants-in-arms.’ - from The Spectator review of October 1925.
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Price HK$ 1,400
1925 - Cassell and Company, London - First Edition
‘This fine personal record shows us the spirit of the British Merchant Service in peace and war, and repeats the unchanging call of the sea. Late Commodore of the P. & 0. Co.'s fleet, Captain Armitage (1864-1943) was not too late, in his early days, to learn the hard discipline of sails, " to shoot the sun," and take a trick at the wheel. Going " into steam," he rose rapidly in rank and took part in two Polar expeditions, with Scott on the Discovery Expedition as second in command, and on the Jackson-Harmsworth Expedition to meet up with Nansen.Here are amusing experiences of passengers, royal or otherwise. We like the alluring advertisement of a small steamship company—" A Surgeon, a Stewardess and an Experienced Cow." The cow, -presumably, knew all about the crying needs of infants-in-arms.’ - from The Spectator review of October 1925.
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Price HK$ 1,400
The Three Voyages of Captain James Cook Round the World. -
Captain James Cook
1821 - Longman, London
A remarkable seven volume set of all of Cook’s three voyages. Illustrated with twenty five striking aquatint plates, including frontispieces in each volume, large folding map, and a table.
‘The famous accounts of Captain Cook’s three voyages form the basis for any collection of Pacific books. In three great voyages Cook did more to clarify the geographical knowledge of the southern hemisphere than all his predecessors had done together. He was really the first scientific navigator and his voyages made great contributions to many fields of knowledge’. [Hill]
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Price HK$ 75,000
1821 - Longman, London
A remarkable seven volume set of all of Cook’s three voyages. Illustrated with twenty five striking aquatint plates, including frontispieces in each volume, large folding map, and a table.‘The famous accounts of Captain Cook’s three voyages form the basis for any collection of Pacific books. In three great voyages Cook did more to clarify the geographical knowledge of the southern hemisphere than all his predecessors had done together. He was really the first scientific navigator and his voyages made great contributions to many fields of knowledge’. [Hill]
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Price HK$ 75,000
I Leap Before I Look -
David Haig-Thomas
1936 - Putnam, London - First Edition
Haig-Thomas (1908-44), Cambridge blue (1930, 1931,1932), Olympic rower, traced the route of the Awash River with Wilfred Thesiger, arctic explorer, ornithologist, member of Special Commando Boating Group in WWII specialising in using canoes and kayaks for limpet attacks in arctic waters, and he could write.
A fine copy in the scarce dust jacket of what the Spectator magazine in 1937 perfectly describes as an ‘account of the more exciting moments of [Haig-Thomas’] youth, mostly passed in the pursuit of thrills. He found them in raiding the printers at Eton for examination papers, tying umbrellas to the spires of King's College chapel, rowing in the University boat-race, poaching ibex in the Pyrenees and photographing wild geese on the Fens - his favourite occupation. Being in America for the Olympic games, he decided to visit friends in Canada, and having no money made the journey by "jumping" a freight train, and then kept himself by odd jobs on farms. All this is amusingly described. But it is his passion for the solitude of the marshes and the call of fighting geese that leavens the toughness of his outlook and distinguishes his book from the usual records of thrill-hunters’.
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Price HK$ 5,800
1936 - Putnam, London - First Edition
Haig-Thomas (1908-44), Cambridge blue (1930, 1931,1932), Olympic rower, traced the route of the Awash River with Wilfred Thesiger, arctic explorer, ornithologist, member of Special Commando Boating Group in WWII specialising in using canoes and kayaks for limpet attacks in arctic waters, and he could write.A fine copy in the scarce dust jacket of what the Spectator magazine in 1937 perfectly describes as an ‘account of the more exciting moments of [Haig-Thomas’] youth, mostly passed in the pursuit of thrills. He found them in raiding the printers at Eton for examination papers, tying umbrellas to the spires of King's College chapel, rowing in the University boat-race, poaching ibex in the Pyrenees and photographing wild geese on the Fens - his favourite occupation. Being in America for the Olympic games, he decided to visit friends in Canada, and having no money made the journey by "jumping" a freight train, and then kept himself by odd jobs on farms. All this is amusingly described. But it is his passion for the solitude of the marshes and the call of fighting geese that leavens the toughness of his outlook and distinguishes his book from the usual records of thrill-hunters’.
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Price HK$ 5,800
Night Without End -
Alistair MacLean
1960 - Collins, London - First Edition
An airliner crashes in the Polar ice-cap. In temperatures 40 degrees below zero, six men and four women survive. But for the members of a remote research station who rescue them, there are some sinister questions to answer - the first one being, who shot the pilot before the crash?
A stunning copy.
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Price HK$ 1,800
1960 - Collins, London - First Edition
An airliner crashes in the Polar ice-cap. In temperatures 40 degrees below zero, six men and four women survive. But for the members of a remote research station who rescue them, there are some sinister questions to answer - the first one being, who shot the pilot before the crash?A stunning copy.
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Price HK$ 1,800
“Farthest North” -
Fridtjof Nansen
1898 - George Newnes, London - Second Edition
Fridtjof Nansen [1861-1930] - winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, scientist, diplomat, explorer, expert cross-country skier.
A bright sharp two volume set describing Nansen's three-year expedition to the North Pole with his boat the Fram, which marked the beginning of the modern age of exploration. Illustrated with 120 full page and numerous text illustrations and coloured plate from Dr. Nansen’s own sketches, together with three maps.
It includes a description of his plan, ridiculed by his peers, to allow the specially designed Fram to become frozen in the treacherous pack ice of the Arctic Oceans. Drifting with the current, he and his crew of twelve would be carried to the Pole.
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Price HK$ 1,800
1898 - George Newnes, London - Second Edition
Fridtjof Nansen [1861-1930] - winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, scientist, diplomat, explorer, expert cross-country skier. A bright sharp two volume set describing Nansen's three-year expedition to the North Pole with his boat the Fram, which marked the beginning of the modern age of exploration. Illustrated with 120 full page and numerous text illustrations and coloured plate from Dr. Nansen’s own sketches, together with three maps.
It includes a description of his plan, ridiculed by his peers, to allow the specially designed Fram to become frozen in the treacherous pack ice of the Arctic Oceans. Drifting with the current, he and his crew of twelve would be carried to the Pole.
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Price HK$ 1,800
South - The Story of Shackleton's Last Expedition 1914-1917 -
Ernest Shackleton
1919 - William Heinemann, London - First Edition, First Impression.
A legendary account of leadership. It was on this expedition that the marooned Shackleton made his famous voyage in a 22-foot boat with five companions through 800 miles of some of the stormiest seas in the world, finally reaching South Georgia and a Norwegian whaling station [Spence].
With 86 full page plates, and large folding map to the rear, many classic photographs existing only due to the stubbornness of Hurley, Shackleton’s photographer, in refusing to leave the plates behind to conserve energy and food.
An exceptional copy of a book that is notorious for its poor quality of paper and binding. Suitably housed in a custom clamshell case of half navy blue morocco leather over matching cloth, lined with felt, spine lettered in silver.
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Price HK$ 40,000
1919 - William Heinemann, London - First Edition, First Impression.
A legendary account of leadership. It was on this expedition that the marooned Shackleton made his famous voyage in a 22-foot boat with five companions through 800 miles of some of the stormiest seas in the world, finally reaching South Georgia and a Norwegian whaling station [Spence].With 86 full page plates, and large folding map to the rear, many classic photographs existing only due to the stubbornness of Hurley, Shackleton’s photographer, in refusing to leave the plates behind to conserve energy and food.
An exceptional copy of a book that is notorious for its poor quality of paper and binding. Suitably housed in a custom clamshell case of half navy blue morocco leather over matching cloth, lined with felt, spine lettered in silver.
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Price HK$ 40,000