Admiral of the Ocean Sea: A Life of Christopher Columbus (2 Volumes). by Morison, Samuel Eliot, 1887-1976 - 1942

Boston: Little, Brown, 1942. Hard Cover. Two volumes: xlv, 448; vii, 445 pages, maps (2 folding), illus., index; 25 cm. Morison's motivation is expressed in the preface: "...this book arose out of a desire to know exactly where Columbus sailed on his Four Voyages, and what sort of a seaman he was. No previous work on the Discoverer of America answers these questions in a manner to satisfy even an amateur seafarer." Published at the same time as the 680-page single volume, from which "all the notes have been omitted, and a good many pages of navigational data; a chapter on ships and sailing and one on the origin of syphilis have been summarized. Otherwise the two editions are identical." This set has been a prize in my library since the early 1960s. I had the opportunity to talk to Albert Harkness, Jr., who sailed on Morison's expeditions as a secretary, and later to assist Morison when he ventured to Providence, and at dinner in Florence. The cardboard box has protected the books well and they are in excellent condition (with a 1943 gift inscription and my bookplate). The box itself had taken a beating before I bought it and the rear panel is lost. Stock#OB1029 / house.