[2], 88 pp. With 3 folding copper-engraved charts; 1 folding copper-engraved plan of the launch of the Bounty. (4to) 10¼x7¾, period polished mottled calf ruled in gilt, rebacked with original gilt-tooled spine laid on, morocco lettering pieces, raised bands, gilt inner dentelles, new endpapers, all edges gilt. First Edition.

First edition of Bligh's own account of the mutiny aboard the Bounty and the subsequent journey by Bligh and 18 loyal crewmen, set adrift in the Bounty's small launch, of some 3600 miles to Timor, landing there after three months at sea. Hill calls it "one of the most remarkable incidents in the whole of maritime history," and notes that "after the publication, Bligh presented copies to the Lords of the Admiralty and other influential people in the hope that his account of the mutiny would absolve him of any blame that might be leveled against him because of the incident..." Bligh's narrative was included in the official account published in 1792, "A Voyage to the South Sea, Undertaken by Command of His Majesty, for the Purpose of Conveying the Bread-fruit Tree to the West Indies..." Lieutenant Bligh, who through subsequent distinguished service rose to admiral by 1811, was known in the British navy as "Bread-Fruit Bligh." Cox II, p.303; Hill 132.