[VOYAGE AROUND THE CAPE OF GOOD HORN]. Boston to San Francisco in Winter of 1862-1863

S.l.: Privately Printed, 1919. Very good. 8vo. 76 pp. + one folding map at end (final page of text browned). Original stiff wrappers (fore-edges untrimmed as issued) a trifle dust-soiled, but a tight copy, signed "Compliments of W[illard] N. Drown," the author's son (and ghost editor of the book), and Francis L. Cooper. A SCARCE AND REMARKABLE ACCOUNT OF A 122-DAY VOYAGE AROUND THE CAPE OF GOOD HORN, UNDERTAKEN DURING THE CIVIL WAR. THE BOOK WAS PRIVATELY PRINTED FOR FRIENDS AND MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY OF THE AUTHOR'S SON, A SIGNER OF OUR COPY.

Albert Newell Drown undertook this trip to recuperate from an attack of typhoid fever. The present volume contains a letter to the author''s parents as well as a transcription of the diary he kept on his voyage around the Horn on the Starlight, as well as a facsimile of the map drawn by Drown himself which charts the voyage.

Although the American Civil War was raging onshore, Drown and his companions and crew were unable to receive any word of it. Indeed, he writes:

"We are just as much isolated from the world as if we had been transferred to the moon or some other planet or had been shut up in some dungeon cell and kept from all intercourse with our kind. We have no society but ourselves. No tidings reach us of what is going on among men, no newspapers, no post office, no churches, no women, no use of money, no buying and selling, no green thing to be seen, no animals save the monsters of the deep, no alarms of fire, no dread of burglars, no factory bells, no shops, no barking of dogs, no pow-wowing of cats, scarcely any, indeed, of the ordinary sights and sounds of life ashore."

Insulated, but not isolated, Drown provides an engaging account of seafaring life, detailing the joys and perils of his journey. The narrative explores the era of clipper ships, offering insights into the maritime history and trade routes of the time. The author provides extremely vivid descriptions of his daily experiences, interactions with fellow passengers and crew, and detailed observations of the ocean and its wildlife, volatile weather, conditions on board the Starlight, and much more. Herein is presented the grandeur and adventure of an epic American maritime voyage during a significant chapter in American maritime history.

Scarce in private ownership: Rare Book Hub (which currently lists more than 15 million records in the Rare Book Transaction Database) records only three copies at auction, the most "recent" auction occurring 46 years ago:
1. John Howell Catalogue 50 (1979)
2. Parke Bernet (10/20/1959 lot 199)
3. Goodspeed's Catalogue 434 (1949)
In the trade we may reference the copy offered in Wm Reese's "South America" catalogue (item 16: $1000 - now sold).

Cowan p. 185. Plath Sale lot 199.

From the Dorothy Sloan Collection of Western Americana.