TRUE STORIES OF H.M.S. ROYAL GEORGE.

Ryde, Isle of Wight. E.Hartnell., 1841 (4), 116 printed pages. Three engraved plates. Two contemporary ink inscriptions on verso of front free endpaper. All edges gilt (one gathering has eased very slightly proud of the text block). 60 x 92 mm. Bound in wood from the wreck of the salvaged ship, front cover with tiny 10 x 8 mm. inset of brass from one of the salvaged ship's cannons (tarnished to almost black but with golden undertones). Spine in orginal black morocco with gilt titling within gilt pointille border and head & tail gilt flourishes (very slight abrasion and rubbing or patination). Provenance: "E.L.F. Madeira Cottage, Southsea. Sept. 14[th] 1843". Portsmouth encyclopedia locates Madeira Cottage (1861) on south side of Villiers Road. Account of survivors of the wrecked Royal George near Cowes in 1782, with poetry dedicated to ship and crew with the loss of 800 lives (one casualty, a report claimed, was a female sailor disguised as a male). The Royal George was ten years in the making and upon completion was the largest warship in the world, boasting 100 guns. She saw service in the Seven Years' War, but, through negligence, sank while undergoing routine maintenance on August 29th, 1782. There were subsequent efforts to raise the ship intact, but none were successful, and the wreckage was finally destroyed in 1840. Not in Bondy. Welsh, 6415. WorldCat locates copies in 14 libraries. The additional brass inset on the front cover is exceptional.. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good.