Item #85326 SEA BREEZES. Christopher Bentley.
SEA BREEZES
SEA BREEZES
SEA BREEZES
SEA BREEZES
SEA BREEZES

SEA BREEZES

New York: Thomas Nelson and Sons, 1875. Hardcover. Octavo.19 cm. Reddish brown stamped design to front board with bright gilt-upon-black sailing vessel surrounded by nautical motifs and latticed borders, in black. Rear board stamped in blind. Light rubbing to extremities. Small colorful decals occasionally later placed by owner (it would seem), and positioned at chapter heads. Previous owner's name (Willie Hampton) and date (1876) to front free endpaper. Rubbing along rear joint. Sixty-Six illustrations. 243 pp., plus 4-pp advertisements for books, at rear. The OCLC currently lists but three copies in libraries worldwide, two of which are dedicated repositories for nautically-related works. Scarce. Very Good. Item #85326

According to a note in the OCLC ( Entry: 20050707;Update:20220609; Accession No: 60820624) listing, "This little volume is compiled principally from two books ... "Ships and Sailors," and "Knights of the Frozen Sea".

But as to author, to WHO WROTE or edited this sweet little recounting of nautical exploration and adventure, the bookseller knows naught: lovely little volume of (fictional?) sea adventure tales, published by Thomas Nelson & Sons. No date is listed, but but according to OCLC, probably 1875. On the title page anonymously attributed thusly: “by the Author of ‘Knights of The Frozen Sea,” ‘Good Dogs,’, Etc.”. In searching for information about said "Author of ‘Knights of The Frozen Sea,”, we come up with the name of Byers, but I don’t think this is the one. “Knights…” comes up as also being written anonymously ,"(by the author of Harry Lawton’s Adventures, or a Young Sailors Wanderings in Strange Lands”) eight years previous to “Sea Breezes” which was (simultaneously?) issued both in England and in the U.S. in 1875. Further down this bunny hole I encounter titles such as “Holiday Pleasures”, “Our Country Home”, and "What makes me grow? or, Walks and talks with Amy Dudley" I can find no reference to Bentley in Cushings Initials and Pseudonyms: A Dictionary of Literary Disguises.

So, until solved, or resolved, let it be a mystery.

Price: $325.00

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