Black Night off Finisterre: The Tragic Tale of an Early British Ironclad

Airlife Publishing, Shrewsbury, 1999. First Edition. Hardcover. Very Good Condition/Very Good. Illustrator: Photographic and Illustrations. Foreword by the author, for appendices, sources and index. The text is illustrated with contemporary black-and-white photographs and illustrations. Green coloured boards with gilt coloured titles to the back strip. Illustrated dustwrapper with blue and white coloured titles to the front panel and back strip. On the night of September 6-7 1870, the British Navy's most controversial and newest ship founded and sank in minutes, with only 18 survivors (who were court-martialled!) of a crew of more than 500 (more British sailors lost their life in this one incident than in the Battle of Trafalgar). This is the story of the building of the ship, of it's designer – Captain Cowper Phipps Coles, and the Admiralty constructor – Edward Reed (who regarded the ship's design as potentially fatal and flawed), and, of the fatal compromise that the Admiralty made in regards to the ship's construction which led to the fatal night of September 1870. Softening and rubbing of the back strip edges with a little rubbing of the book corners. Very light age toning of the text block edges. A little creasing of the dustwrapper edges with rubbing of the panels. There is a very small split to the top right hand corner of the back strip. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. [7], 8 - 192 pages,. Please refer to accompanying picture (s). Illustrator: Photographic and Illustrations. Quantity Available: 1. Shipped Weight: Under 1 kilo. Category: Ships & the Sea; Britain/UK; 19th century; Military & Warfare. ISBN: 1840370955. ISBN/EAN: 9781840370959. Inventory No: 0125182. . 9781840370959