BOWDITCH'S NAVIGATOR, 1811

Evidence indicated that this book was aboard
the USS Constitution during the Battle of 1812.

George H. Leverrett, U.S. Navy, was posted to the Constitution in June, 1812, as a midshipman. It was shortly after that this ship earned its name "Old Ironsides". THis edition would have been the latest available at that time. He would have taken it with him.

It is in totally original condition until Hurricane Ian in 2022, 210 years after its printing. Go to the bottom of the page for post hurricane, how it now looks images.

Known in the Navy as Pub. No. 9, Nathaniel Bowditch’s The American Practical Navigator:
An Epitome of Navigation is arguably the single most important navigational resource
on board all naval and merchant ships.

Research shows the edition dates as 1807 2nd, 1812 3rd, and 1817 4th.
So I am confused why this book indicates 1811 as the publication date.

Hurrican Ian hit our home in September, 2022. The lanai was were I conducted my business selling on eBay and items listed for sale were there. The roof of the lanai was never found. The walls were nearby anf the most of the front was leaning against the main house. THis book was recovered two days later, still in its protective plastic sleeve, soaking wet. It sat for another day before removal when much mold was appearing on it. It was dried out using a dehydrating material. Badly curled with pages stuck together, it has not been opened hoping a curator would attempt that. It's future is unestablished.

Its cover was in bad shape. Some of the spine cover was present.

The owners name is written at the top. George H. Leverrett, U.S. Navy.
THe inside cover has a label for the book seller on State Street, Boston.

Close up of the first owner. It probably had a second owner, E. Edes Bradshaw as shown in the prior photo.

The title page. Note the publication date, 1811.
The first edition was in 1799 second in 1800.
In 1802 the 3rd, he wrote so much of it, he change the title and called it
The New Practical Navigator 1st edition.
It is still in print, some 52 edition later.

Map insert before the cover age. Intended as general interest, not useful.

Gunter's Scale on page 21.

These are mostly pictures of sample pages from within the book showing illustrations.
This page has another Leverrett signature.

Useless text has been X'ed out. These early editions did contain errors in technical information.

To make up for that useless information, hand written corrections and insert are found.

This is a continuation of correction inserts.

Surveying illustration using a non-existent city and bay illustration.

At the back of the book are the advertisements pages, common in books of this era.

Another insert "Method of finding the correct distance between the sun and the moon, by projection.

POST HURRIANE IAN PICTURES.

The Spine, before and after Ian.

The inside of the front cover where Leverrett's signature is hardly visible.

The Title page.

One of the few pages accessible. The rest are stuck together. The before of this can be found above.

The front cover with a small piece of the leather still there.

Before. The lanai was my office, extending about 9 feet wide.

After. The room is gone. This book is on the top shelf og the bookcase seen in the center. A portion of the front wall leaning against it.

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updated 8/1/2021 email:dsteele@antiquezone.com