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1748 · rif. ABC_46957 — London 1748. Large 4to. printed for the author by John and Paul Knapton Bound by Marcus Ward & Co. founded 1833 with their bookbinder's label on the front paste-down in 19th-century calf gold-tooled and blind-tooled frame on both boards gold-tooled spine with red morocco spine label with title in gold gold-tooled board edges blind-tooled turn-ins red edges blue ribbon marker. With 42 engraved plates maps and plans all but one folding. 1 1 blank 32 1 blank 417 1 blank 2 pp. First edition of this important and popular account of the unfortunate and famous expedition of George Anson being considered as “the one most sought after” Borba de Moraes. It is an account of Anson’s expedition to the western coast of South America to harass the Spanish trading territories and cutting off the Spanish supplies of wealth in this way after the outbreak of the War of Jenkins’s Ear between Britain and Spain in 1739. Anson was the commander of 7 ships in 1740 including the Centurion but soon his expedition threatened to turn into a fiasco. His squadron was battered by storms and bad weather causing damage and shipwrecks and many of his crew died from scurvy typhus and dysentery. The remaining crew was transferred to the Centurion the last remaining vessel and Anson limped across the Pacific to Macao. In June 1743 he sailed to the Philippines were he achieved a substantial victory near Manila by capturing the Nuestra Senora de Covadonga a Spanish galleon filled with gold. After sailing around the world Anson returned to England in June 1744 and in spite of his enormous losses he returned with large profits.Anson’s voyage being one of the greatest voyages in the history of exploration and naval warfare laid the foundation for British voyages and exploration of the Pacific and more specific for English trade in this area. The present account being based upon Anson’s own ship journal describing this troubled expedition soon became highly popular in the 18th century and is even considered as “the masterpiece of descriptive travel” and “the most popular book of maritime adventure of the eighteenth century” Hill. With occasionally a correction of the text in brown ink and the name of Mr. Sweeting added to the list of subscribers. Binding slightly worn around the edges and with a few minor scratches on the boards some marginal foxing and staining to both the text leaves and plates especially in the first part barely affecting the plates except the map of the Pacific Ocean which is a little more stained folding lines of some plates especially all three large folding maps reinforced but sometimes still with some very small tears on the folding lines some corners of the folding plates slightly frayed but overall a copy of the first edition of this important 18th-century travelogue with all the plates which is still in good condition.l Alden/Landis 748/225; Borba de Moraes I p. 38; Cox I p. 49; ESTC T89475; Hill 1817; Howgego A-100; Kroepelien 1086; Sabin 101175 cf. 1625. hardcover