Sydney Parkinson (1745-1771)
A Journal of a Voyage to the South Seas, in His Majesty's ship, the Endeavour. London: for Stanfield Parkinson, 1773.
Rare large-paper copy of the first edition of Parkinson's journal which remains the finest personal account of Cook's first voyage, with valuable South-Sea vocabularies and the first published use of the word kangaroo (p.149). Parkinson embarked aboard HMS Endeavour as Sir Joseph Banks's botanical artist – Banks spoke highly of Parkinson's 'unbounded industry' – but died in January 1771 on the homeward leg. Upon the ship's return to England, a bitter dispute arose between Parkinson's brother Stanfield and Banks as to the ownership of Parkinson's personal papers and drawings. As a result the publication of this edition was halted by an injunction which prevented further copies from being sold until Hawkesworth's official account of the voyage had been published. Hill 1308; Beddie 712, Hocken, pp.12-13; Holmes 7; cf. Forbes I, 82.

Quarto (337 x 274mm). Large-paper copy with very wide margins. Engraved portrait frontispiece, engraved map of the coast of New Zealand, and 26 further engraved plates (two-page errata leaf from smaller copy loosely inserted, plates III and XV supplied from a smaller copy and bound in, plate III with short repaired tear just into caption, plates offsetting as usual with some spotting and toning, text with some faint staining and soiling mainly confined to margins at beginning). Contemporary calf (sometime furbished, extremities rubbed joints cracking at head and foot of spine, headcap slightly defective revealing headband, front free endpaper coming loose).

Frances M Myers (bookplate) – Maggs (invoice noting supply of smaller plates, sold to:) – Lt Cdr Andrew David (bookplate).

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