MELVILLE, Herman (1819-1891). Narrative of a Four

MELVILLE, Herman (1819-1891). Narrative of a Four Months' Residence Among the Natives of a Valley of the Marquesas Islands; or, A Peep at Polynesian Life.

London: John Murray, 1846. Small 8vo. Original blindstamped red cloth, neatly rebacked, with plain endpapers. In a full red morocco folding case. An unrecorded binding variant with the spine lettered "Melville's/Marquesas/Islands/Murray" (similar to Blanck's Binding Variant D, except for the absence of the number "15" after "Islands). Blanck does not describe cover stamping for any of the cloth variants. Condition: Covers very lightly dust-soiled, corners slightly rubbed. Otherwise a very good, clean copy. Provenance: Henry Lyster and H.W. Brackenburn bookplates. first edition, second issue of the author's first book, without the terminal catalogue and with p.19 line 1 reading "...Pomare...". With the map on p. [xviii] and with the fly-title excised. BAL 13652.