RALFE, James. The Naval Chronology of Great Britain; or, An Historical Account of Naval and Maritime Events, from the Commencement of the War in 1803, to the End of the Year 1816: also, Particulars of the Most Important Courts-Marital, Votes of Parliaments, Lists of Flag-Officers in Commission, and of Promotions for Each Year: The Whole forming a complete Naval History of the above Period. London, Whitmore and Fenn, 1820.
Three volumes. Royal 8vo. Contemporay half calf over marbled boards; raised bands to spines; spines lettered and ornamented in gilt, and ornamented in blind; marbled edges; marbled endpapers; pp. x, 288; [ii], 284; [ii], 318, [2]; complete with 60 hand-coloured aquatint plates with captions printed in blue, as well as an extra suite of the same plates in black and white; some plates accompanied by additional early stages of the copperplates in outline; rubbing to extremities of boards and hinges of spines, as well as slight rubbing to covers; innner hinges expertly repaired; one additional black and white plate in vol. III not bound in; light spotting here and there, a few plates with oxidization; even toning to paper-stock; a good copy with fine provenance.
First edition, the Ralfe family copy. A full suite of coloured aquatint plates, with captions in blue, alongside an accompanying suite of the same plates in black and white, missing plate 38 rations before aquatint. This is an exceptional first edition set of James Ralfe's sought after chronological history of the Royal Navy, looking at the years of the Napoleonic Wars and the British Navy's response on the seas across the globe. The Naval Chronology of Great Britain is a useful compilation of naval historical facts and memoirs of significant events between 1806 and 1815. It is an invaluable reference work looking at the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, which were important shaping years for the Navy fleet. This is a unique work filled with many first hand accounts of officers who were directly involved. Many of the illustrations are also by officers who witnessed events. This period between 1806 and 1815 was an important one for the Royal Navy in demonstrating their full efficiency during the Wars, when they were dominating over the navies of the rest of the world. Napoleon was attempting to reverse the power of the British Navy and their supremacy on the sea, and closed European ports to British trade.
'James Ralfe, naval historian, was the author of The Naval Chronology of Great Britain (3 vols, 1820): it was a useful compilation, intended to be a continuation of the Naval Chronology of Captain Isaac Schomberg, but more extensive. It was apparently issued in parts, with the date of the title page being that of its completion' (ODNB).
Abbey 342; Sabin 67602 (American War of 1812) - Provenance: by descent.
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