Narrative of the wreck of the "Favorite" on the Island of Desolation: Detailing the Adventures, Sufferings, and Privations of John Nunn; an historical account of the Island, and its whale and seal fisheries.

First edition. Wood engraved frontispiece and numerous other cuts in the text, with a folding map. 8vo. Original cloth, slightly worn, but the gilt spine bright.xx, 236, 16 (ads). pp. London, Painter,

Nunn was a native of Harwich, in 1825 he joined the Royal Sovereign on a sealing voyage to Kerguelen Island. On arrival there, the crew was divided into various smaller vessels and sent to harvest the rich sealing beaches around the the island. Nunn and three others were stranded at a remote spot, and presumed lost by the Captain, who returned to England with the spoils of the voyage. This work chronicles the Crusoe-like life led by the three seamen who spent over two years marooned on the island. It is a tale of extreme fortitude told modestly in the words of the author, little altered one feels by the Ipswich doctor who endeavoured to bring the work to the press to raise funds for Nunn. It is an uncommon book and deserves to be better known.Spence 868.

Stock Code: 194100