Alexander George Findlay (1812–1875)
A Directory for the Navigation of the Indian Ocean. London: Richard Holmes Laurie, 1866.
Very rare first edition of this extensive work on navigating around the Arabian peninsula, describing the Indian Ocean eastwards from the Cape of Good Hope across to Western Australia. Chapters XI- XIII cover 'The Red Sea', 'The Southern Coasts of Arabia' and 'The Persian Gulf' (pp.564-704). Sharjah ('Shargeh'), Dubai ('Debay') and Abu Dhabi ('Abu Thabi') are all described, as is Al Bida and Doha ('Doheh') on the Qatar ('Kutr') coast, and there are quite long descriptions of Bahrain ('Bahrein') and Kuwait ('Koweit'). The general maps of the Indian Ocean depict currents and prevailing winds and monsoon directions. Some of the maps of individual islands derive from earlier surveys: the map of the Keeling Islands is that surveyed by Fitzroy and used in the Narrative of the Voyage of the Beagle (see lot 91). Loosely inserted is the 16pp. Hydrographic Notice [No.12] Bay of Bengal, 1880, and the broadside No. 184 ... Notice to Mariners, 1882, relating to lights on the Hindostan coast and the approach to Madras harbour. There are also a couple of loosely inserted pages of near-contemporary manuscript notes on the directions of cyclones and winds.

The National Library of Australia claim to have an 1863 edition of this work, but this is currently listed as 'missing'; more likely it is a ghost record, as Ferguson does not list this edition, and we cannot trace any other copies earlier than 1866. The preface makes no mention of an earlier edition, although it states that it draws on the 1809 work by Horsburgh. The current edition is extremely rare in its own right, with only two copies traced in libraries worldwide at the University of Southampton, and at the Pfälzische Landesbibliothek Speyer in Germany.

Octavo (240 x 144mm). Pp. [ii], xxxvi, 1062, text-figures, 15 maps of which 4 printed in three colours and folding, 2 printed in red and black and double-page, 9 plain of which six are double-page, two folding and two single-page (one folding map with 150mm tear but only just into blank area of Australia and without loss, occasional light scattered spotting). Contemporary half calf (rubbed, lower joint splitting but rear board still attached, front inner hinge cracked, some soiling and spotting to cloth sides).

C.J. Russell (small ink ownership stamp on front pastedown) –
Lt Cdr Andrew David (bookplate)

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