A Survey of the Ancient and Present State of the Scilly Islands. TROUTBECK (John).

A Survey of the Ancient and Present State of the Scilly Islands: Describing their Situation. Towns. Forts. Produce. Government. Customs. Antiquities. Number. Churches. Harbours. Language. Arts. Manufactures. House Burnings. Extent. Castles. Soil. Religion. Traffick. Grants. Shipwrecks. The Importance of these Islands to the Trade and Navigation of Great Britain and Ireland; their many Admirable Curiosities, both Natural and Artificial; the most Remarkable Events, Accidents, and Revolutions in past Ages. Also Directions for Ships to go into their different Harbours: likewise how to Avoid the many dangerous Rocks, sunken Ledges, and Shoals, about the Islands. Carefully extracted, and compiled, not only from the most esteemed Historians extant, but also from the Observations of the most skilful Pilots, and other intelligent Inhabitants. A Work very necessary for such Seafaring People as come near to the dangerous Rocks of Scilly, and entertaining to all Degrees of Readers. By John Troutbeck, Chaplain to his Grace the Duke of Leeds.

8vo. [207 x 130 x 22 mm]. [1]f, 5, [1], 234 pp. Bound c.1950 in quarter blue calf, blue cloth sides, the spine divided into six panels by raised bands flanked with gilt fillets, lettered in the second and fourth, the others with a gilt centre, plain endleaves, red sprinkled edges. (Spine a little scratched and rubbed).
Sherborne: printed and sold by Goadby and Lerpiniere. Sold also by F. and C. Rivington, No.62, St. Paul's Church-yard, London, [1796]

Bound without the half-title. Some of the leaves have a shallow impression of a blind stamp. Occasional light spotting but a very good copy. The paper has a blue tinge.

The John Rylands Library has a copy of a quarto edition with the date 1794. This undated octavo edition is fairly common in UK libraries, but there are only three copies in the USA, two at Harvard and one at Newberry. Only one copy appears in auction records (Bonhams, 1/12/2009, lot 343) and there are no copies currently being offered for sale online.

The list of subscribers runs to 360 copies, of which 50 were ordered by the Governor, Deputy Governor, and Directors of the Bank of England, 12 by The Honourable Board of Customs, London, 20 by The Worshipful Company of Merchants trading to Hudson's Bay, 50 by the Master, Wardens, and Assistants of the Corporation of Trinity-House, Deptford Strond, 14 by Rev. S. Tucker, Lynstead, Kent, for himself and friends, and 12 by Messrs. Vernor and Hood, Birchin-lane, London.

Stock no. ebc7784