For those interested in sailing and navigation, including speedometers used in marine travel, up for auction is a lot comprising two illustrated publications, a cloth-bound 1899 copy of W. J. Henderson's The Elements of Navigation, published by Harper & Brothers of New York and London, and an undated but likely early 1930s copy of a double-stapled sales booklet (with instructions for ordering) from the Kenyon Instrument Company, Boston, entitled Kenyon Marine Speedometers and Logs (there's a 1931 date mentioned in the booklet on page 3, hence my "circa 1932" date in item title).
The Henderson title, which does not come with a dust jacket / wrapper, measures 3-1/2 inches wide by 6 inches high and comprises 203 pages, plus 8 pages of mostly roman-numeral-paginated front matter. The Kenyon catalogue / sales booklet measures 5 inches wide by 7-1/4 inches high and has 16 pages.
Here's the information on the title page of The Elements of Navigation:
THE
Elements of Navigation
A short and complete explanation of the
standard methods of finding the posi-
tion of a ship at sea and the
course to be steered
DESIGNED FOR
THE INSTRUCTION OF BEGINNERS
BY
W. J. HENDERSON, A. M.
ENSIGN IN THE FIRST NAVAL BATTALION OF
NEW YORK
Illustrated
NEW YORK AND LONDON
HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS
1899
On the next page are just two lines at the bottom -- "Copyright, 1895, by HARPER & BROTHERS. / All rights reserved." -- while on the next page is the author's dedication, reading: "TO / COMMANDER J. W. MILLER / COMMANDING FIRST NAVAL BATTALION / NEW YORK."
Following a two-page author's PREFACE, the Contents are listed on pages vii and viii, and they are:
The Kenyon catalogue / booklet has this printed on the first glossy page:
KENYON Marine
Speedometers
offer the most
accurate means
of measuring
nautical speed
and distance
There follow 15 pages with black-and-white photographs of several sailboats -- The Dorade, The Water Gypsy, and The Mistress -- a centerfold "Illustration Drawing of Kenyon Marine Speedometer on Typical Sailboat, and photos of the recording dial of a speedometer, the strut, The New Kenyon Combined Speedometer and Log, and The Interior Mechanism of the Kenyon Marine Speedometer Log, among other things.
The headings in the booklet are:
The overall condition of the compact, cloth-bound navigation book, which does not come with a dust jacket / wrapper, is fair to good. The silver-decorated (on front board) and gold-titled (on spine) navy blue binding is a bit loose, corner-bumped, edgeworn, spotted, etc. There are extensive pencil writings on the front end pages (see 11th photo uploaded) and on at least two pages within (pages 50-51; see third from last photo). The end pages and text pages are age-toned / yellowed / darkened, with spotting, smudging, minor foxing, corner bends, etc., here and there within. There appear to be no clipped or missing pages, tape repairs, water or other liquid damage, large tears, etc. The three page edges are smooth-cut, uncolored, age-toned / darkened, spotted, etc. The condition of the double-stapled Kenyon booklet is fair to good, with staining, spotting, smudging, etc., on the wrapper (especially on the rear cover, both inside and out) and with spotting on the black-and-white photo pastedown of a sailboat on the front cover. The sixteen glossy pages within are in relatively good shape, but with some spotting, smudging, etc. There are no annotations of any kind in the booklet nor any major damage in the way of clipped or missing pages, water damage, tape repairs, large tears, etc. Neither publication has a musty or smoky odor.
These two publications on navigation
and sailing are being sold AS IS, AS DESCRIBED ABOVE AND PICTURED WITHIN.
I am setting what I feel is a very reasonable starting price for the auction,
and there is NO RESERVE. I am also including a Buy It Now price.
Shipping and handling for the book
and booklet: $4 to U.S. addresses (via Media Mail).
Note that eBay has now instituted a
shipping program whereby bidders from outside the U.S. can bid on or buy all
sellers' items, and the seller sends everything to an eBay facility in the US
for shipping. So far, this seems to be working out well (though one item bought
by someone in China never made it to its destination, though eBay very quickly
refunded the buyer).
If you want these two navigation- and
sailing-related titles sent more quickly to you (e.g., via Priority Mail in the
U.S.), you must request this asap after winning or purchasing them (or
beforehand, if possible), and I will adjust the amount accordingly.
I will do my best to send the books out
to you no more than 2-3 business days following receipt of payment (that
is, when eBay informs me that your payment has been posted to or otherwise
cleared in my account).
If you are the winner or buyer of these
two publications, PAYMENT IS EXPECTED WITHIN ONE WEEK (7 DAYS) FROM THE
PURCHASE DATE. If you cannot pay within this time frame, PLEASE contact me asap
so we can work something out. I'm very flexible and understanding, but I would
appreciate communication from you one way or another.
PLEASE NOTE THAT RETURNS WILL NOT BE
ACCEPTED NOR REFUNDS MADE FOR THESE TWO PUBLICATIONS, SO PLEASE READ MY
DESCRIPTION CAREFULLY, LOOK CLOSELY AT THE PHOTOGRAPHS I’VE UPLOADED, AND ASK
ME ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE ABOUT THE CONTENTS OR CONDITION OF THE ITEMS.
THANKS FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING!
Thanks for looking, and please don't
hesitate to email me if you have any questions about The Elements
of Navigation, by W. J. Henderson, or Kenyon Marine Speedometers and
Logs, a likely 1930s sales / promotional publication.
PLEASE NOTE THAT, IF POSSIBLE, I WILL
HAPPILY ADJUST SHIPPING CHARGES FOR MULTIPLE PURCHASES!!! (THIS DOES NOT APPLY
TO SALES FROM OUTSIDE THE U.S. AT THIS TIME.)
ALSO, NOTE THAT, IF APPLICABLE, eBAY
WILL ADD ANY APPROPRIATE STATE SALES TAX TO THE INVOICE.