Heading: (Cetology)
Author: Beale, Thomas
Title: The Natural History of the Sperm Whale...to which is added, a sketch of a South–Sea Whaling Voyage
Place Published: London
Publisher:John Van Voorst
Date Published: 1839
Description: vi, [2], 393 pp. Illustrated with 2 (of 3) plates and in-text wood engravings. The two plates include the frontispiece "Boats Attacking Whales" and "Bonin Island—Boat Passing Through the Breakers". (8vo) bound by Riviere in half-calf and cloth, spine tooled and lettered in gilt, morocco spine label, all edges marbled, feather-marbled endpapers. Second edition.A handy octavo volume bound by Riviere recounting the natural and commercial history of the leviathan that Ishmael, in his Cetology chapter of Melville's Moby Dick, would classify as a "folio" whale. One may perhaps distance Melville from his character's foibles in classifying the Sperm Whale according to book format, and against the better judgement of Linnaeus who rightly distinguished marine mammals from fish. Regardless of Ishmael's scientific accuracy, Beale's text was a major source for Melville's classic novel (Melville is on the list of subscribers on p. [viii]) and an advance in the understanding of marine life. Regarding Beale, Ishmael states "There are only two books in being which at all pretend to put the living sperm whale before you, and at the same time, in the remotest degree succeed in the attempt. Those books are Beale's and Bennett's; both in their time surgeons to English South-Sea whale-ships; and both exact and reliable men." The second edition of Beale's text "to which is added, A Sketch of A South-Sea Whaling Voyage." Armorial bookplate of J.T. Williamson. Ownership marks at half-title in blue ink. Ferguson 2709; Hill 89; Sabin 4108; Spence 105.

Some rubbing at extremities, a few abrasions to calf, some soiling to cloth; dampstaining at fore-edges of some leaves which I will only here describe as tidemarks; very good or better.