Aux Indes et en Australie dans le yacht le “Sunbeam”…
Tours: Alfred Mame et fils, 1893.
The splendid first French edition, which puts the English edition of 1890 in the shade. It is scarce - and not recorded by Ferguson - although almost half of the book is devoted to the Australian section of the voyage.
Lord and Lady Brassey made several cruises around the world in their yacht, Sunbeam. Lady Brassey’s account of their earlier voyage published in 1879 was very popular and went through many editions. Undertaken in 1886-7, this was to be Lady Brassey’s last voyage. She died before completing the cruise and her grieving husband, Lord Brassey, completed her work for publication. Lord Brassey later authorised this edition, translated into French by Gaston Bonnefont.
The many fine plates and illustrations are after designs by R.T. Pritchett, and engraved by Whymper, Cooper and Pearson. There are too many to comment on - more than two hundred in total - but the work is particularly rich with nautical scenes, as well as charming vignettes ranging from street scenes to details of Australian and Pacific natural history.
Bibliography: not in Ferguson.
Quarto, with many illustrations, some taken from photographs, gilt edges, attractive in original ornate pictorial cloth.
Price (AUD): $1,850.00 other currencies