THE MASTER MARINER: BOOK 1 - RUNNING PROUD.**

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.FINE++/FINE+.No owner inscrptn,and no price-clip to dw/dj.Bright,crisp,clean,glossy laminated,white background with red,brownish+gilt lettering illustrated design to upper panel of dw/dj,with author's colour portrait painting by John Bratby,RA (1977) to rear panel; with negligible shelf-wear and creasing to edge and corners - no nicks or tears present.Front inner flap of dw/dj,has two accidental diagonal creases to both top+bottom corners,head+foot of spine/backstrip minisculely bumped with reciprocal creasing.Top+fore- edges bright and clean; contents bright,tight,clean,solid and sound - virtually near pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners - appears unread.Bright,crisp, clean,sharp-cornered, publisher's original plain black cloth boards with bright,crisp,stamped gilt letters to spine/backstrip and immaculate plain white endpapers.UK, 8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn,5-524pp [paginated] includes 7 chapters,7 b/w line drawings (ships),7 double-page b/w maps - all by Peter McClure. Plus [unpaginated] half-title+ title pages,dedication,prose extract, contents list/table,and 8pp blanks at rear.See my book ID rja691417 for an author SIGNED,UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.
Matthew Lawe,master mariner,whose spectacular act of cowardice in the midst of Drake's defeat of the Spanish Armada brought upon him a wild witch's curse that he stay on earth until his guilt was purged.
In unending pursuit of salvation,Matthew sailed with Hudson on his last doomed voyage in search of a North-West Passage through the frozen wilderness of the North American continent; fought as a buccaneer under Henry Morgan in the Caribbean; served Samuel Pepys as he transformed rotting hulks,pressed men and professional time-servers into the King's Navy; stood at Captain Cook's right hand as he navigated the narrows of the St. Lawrence to carry General Wolfe to the storming of Quebec,followed him as he charted unknown seas,watched his violent death on a Hawaiian beach.
In due course,Matthew became an intimate of Nelson's household as the sea captain farmed his Norfolk acres in premature retirement, served under him when war with the French took him back to sea,to victory on the Nile,to Naples and Emma,and to Trafalgar.
Matthew Lawe embodies the spirit of British seamen who mastered the seven oceans during the last four hundred years,whose appetite for adventure carried the fame of Britain across the world.But,while they were mortal,for Matthew there was no rest.
The full story of 'The Master Mariner' cannot be told within the compass of one volume.'Running Proud' is the first half of this epic novel,carrying Matthew from the Armada to Trafalgar - see book my ID rja562115 for 2nd and concluding part/volume.
Please contact seller @ rpaxtonden@bleyonder.co.uk,because of the heavier weight of this item,for correct shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page!
** N.B. US customers please be aware: US standard AIR postage from UK to US can now cost more than the price of the book! If speed is not of the essence,then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. 1/2 to 2/3rds of standard US AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving long before the quoted 42 days - but not always.