Lot 96: ALLEN, William (1793-1864). Picturesque Views in the Island of Ascension. London: printed

ALLEN, William (1793-1864). Picturesque Views in the Island of Ascension. London: printed for the Author by James Moyes, 1835. Oblong 2° (280 x 380mm). Letterpress title with integral wood-engraved map of the island, dedication to 'Captain Bate the commandant and the officers of the Royal Marines, in garrison on the island of Ascension', 12pp. text. 10 lithographic plates on india paper mounted after Barnard, drawn on stone by George Barnard or A. Picken with two unsigned, printed by Day & Haghe. (Some marginal browning or small tears.) Original drab paper wrappers, letterpress title with integral wood-engraved map on upper cover (browned, backstrip torn with loss, small tears to margins of covers).

A HIGHLY ACCOMPLISHED SERIES, here in the rare original wrappers with the plates on india paper. Allen was a naval officer who is best known for his part in the River Niger expeditions of 1832 and 1841-2. The sketches from which the present lithographs were made were drawn by Allen during a two month stay on Ascension, possibly whilst he recuperated from the rigors of the first Niger expedition.

Sir David GILL. A Determination of the solar parallax from observations of Mars made at the island of Ascension in 1877. London: published by the [Royal Astronomical] Society, 1881. 4° (275 x 215mm). 1 folding lithographic map of the island. Original cloth, blocked in gilt, lettered in blind (light old dampstaining to covers). Provenance: Earl of Carnarvon (presentation label on front pastedown). A separately published offprint from the Memoirs of the Royal Astronomical Society: originally published in vol.XLVI.
Lady Isobel GILL. Six Months in Ascension An unscientific account of a scientific expedition... second edition. London: John Murray, 1880. 8° (190 x 128mm). Half-title, 32pp. publisher's advertisements at rear. Lithographic map. (Map torn at inner margin.) Original cloth (worn). Sir David's wife's account of their 1877 visit to Ascension. (3)

No VAT on hammer price or buyer's premium