[Rarebooks] fs: Semmes. Memoirs of Service Afloat, 1st

[Back Creek Books]

Greetings All,

For your consideration:
~
(No. 7866 )  Semmes, Raphael (1809-1877). MEMOIRS OF SERVICE AFLOAT, DURING
THE WAR BETWEEN THE STATES.
Baltimore: Kelly, Piet & Co., 1869. First printing, Original cloth, Octavo,
xvi, 17-833 pages, Steel engravings, chromo-tints. Very Good.
      Well written, classic account of Semmes' exploits blockade running in
the Sumter and raiding in the Alabama during the Civil War. He covered an
amazing amount of ocean and captured or destroyed 65 Union vessels in the
Alabama. He opens with some defensive rationalizations for secession and the
Confederacy, but soon is into his exciting and vivid narrative. The battle
accounts are excellent, as are his descriptions of many exotic ports. EICHER
#341; NEVINS, CWB Vol. I, p. 233; HOWES S286. Bound in original dark brown
pebbled cloth over boards with gilt-stamped spine titles and decoration,
gilt-stamped facsimile signature on upper board, blind-stamped border rules
to both boards, dark brown endpapers. Tissue-guarded frontispiece portrait
of Admiral Semmes, plus two other plates of engraved portraits and six
colored engraved plates in text. Lower joint has been discreetly reinforced
with a 1/4" wide strip of black binder's tape, but both inside hinges remain
sound. There are rubs through the cloth to the underlying boards at fore
corners and along fore edges, chipping along spine ends, with a 1/2" x 3/4"
chip at head of spine revealing headband and underlying spine materials.
Spine gilt somewhat dulled. A few contemporary ownership notations on front
pastedown, contemporary gift inscription of preliminary blank leaf. Slight
foxing to frontispiece and guard, shallow (1/4" or less) strip of browning
to top edge of some plates, far outside the illustration. Otherwise interior
is quite clean and sound.    $275.00
See photo: http://www.backcreekbooks.com/bookphotos/7866.jpg

><///(*>   ><///(*>    ><///(*>    ><///(*>
Terms:
All books fully guaranteed and returnable if not as described. Normal
domestic shipping $3.50 for the first book, $1.00 each additional book or
volume. International shipments or other carriers at cost. Payment accepted
by credit card (V,MC,Amex, Discover), check, money order, or PayPal.

Thank you for your interest.

Best regards,

Rock Toews
Back Creek Books
Post Office Box 3540, Annapolis, MD 21403, U.S.A.
Tel. 410-626-1363 or toll free 877-626-1363 -  Fax. 815-425-8542
Web: http://www.backcreekbooks.com  ~  Email: admin at backcreekbooks.com
--
Military & Naval History, Americana, Nautical & Maritime, Marylandiana
 ~ New arrivals: http://www.backcreekbooks.com/index.php
 ~ Books wanted: http://www.backcreekbooks.com/wants.php
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today's featured book from our stock at the booksellers' cooperative,
TomFolio.com:
 Brown, Philip L..  'A Century of "Separate But Equal" Education in Anne
Arundel County.'
 Details and secure ordering:
http://www.tomfolio.com/mall/backcreekbooks/bookdetails.asp?book=7867
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
'If I had only known, I would have been a locksmith.' - Albert Einstein