A Narrative of the Voyage of the Argonauts in 1880; Compiled by the Bard from the Most Authentic Records, Illustrated by the Photographer, and Intended for the Amusement, Edification, and Everlasting Glorification of the Argonauts Themselves

[Edinburgh]: [Privately Printed] Printed for the Argonauts, 1881. First (only) Edition.. Original red, gilt stamped cloth; a.e.g.. Good with use; hinges weak; some spotting; photographs somewhat yellowed or unevenly faded; one signature loose.. 8vo, [8], [1] - 134 pp. + 16 mounted full page albumen photographic prints.

William Mitchell Banks was a successful surgeon who introduced the radical mastectomy (the subject of his Lettsomian lectures) into practice. He helped found the Univ. of Liverpool, and was a book collector in the history of medicine. A wonderful jaunty narrative of his voyage aboard the Argo with 14 companions going to Iceland, Faroe Islands, and Norway. It contains a number of surprises, e.g., "A beautiful schooner yacht glided into the bay with the setting sun and lay beside us. It belonged to Sir William Thomson [Lord Kelvin] ...." Banks sketches a picture of slow-moving life aboard, with no purpose other than "going" with good conversation, food, and drink. His reports of the local life when landing, the villages, harbors, the people he and his companions encounter, and natural environment are informative, short, and to the point. The "next thing" seemingly implicit with each comment. An enjoyable narrative and trip to be envied. The photographs are by Richard Caton, a physician and fellow traveller. DNB, 20th Century, 91-92; absent from Toy; Bibliotheca Norvegica II, #6916; World Cat. 2 copies.