Governor [Arthur] Phillip. The Voyage of Governor Phillip to Botany Bay; with an Account of the Establishment of the Colonies of Port Jackson & Norfolk Island; compiled from Authentic Papers, which have been obtained from the several Departments. To which are added, The Journals of Lieuts. Shortland, Watts, Ball, & Capt. Marshall; with an Account of their New Discoveries. Embellished with fifty five Copper Plates, The Maps and Charts taken from Actual Surveys, & the Plans & Views drawn on the Spot, by Capt. Hunter, Lieuts. Shortland, Watts, Dawes, Bradley, Capt. Marshall, &c. London: Printed for John Stockdale, 1789.
First edition, rare deluxe issue with thirty-one natural history plates printed on laid paper and hand-colored. Large quarto (11.0625 x 8.625 inches; 281 x 189 mm.). 6, [2, errata (verso blank)], viii, [8, "A List of the Subscribers"], [3, "List of the Plates"], [1, blank], x (Contents), 298, lxxiv (Appendix), [2, publisher's advertisements] pages. Page 122 incorrectly numbered 221. Complete with engraved frontispiece portrait of Arthur Phillip Esq. by W. Sherwin, from an original picture painted by F. Wheatly; engraved title with vignette engraved by T. Medland after H. Webber; and fifty-three engraved plates and maps, including natural history plates, views, plates of aboriginals, maps and charts, most folding or double-page, engraved portrait of Lieutt. King by W. Skelton after J. Wright, and engraved portrait of Lieutt. Shortland by W. Sherwin after S. Shelley. Thirty-one of the natural history plates are printed on laid paper and hand-colored. Most plates with the original tissue guards. "A List of Convicts Sent to New South Wales in 1787" (pages [lv]-lxxiv of the Appendix).
The title-page is in the first state, with "H. Webber invent." on the lower left side of the vignette; first state of Plate 10, "The Kangooroo," facing page 106, Plate 30, "Skeleton of the Head of the Kangooroo and Vulpine Opossum," facing page 168; and Plate 47, "Kangooroo Rat," facing page 277, with "Kangooroo later corrected to "Kanguroo;" and later state of Plate 16, facing page 150, with "Wulpine Opossum" corrected to "Vulpine Opossum." In this copy, Plate 19, facing page 153, is captioned "Tabnan Parrot," later corrected to "Tabuan Parrot."
Contemporary tree sheep. Smooth spine elaborately tooled in gilt in compartments with a brown leather label decoratively tooled and lettered in gilt. This once beautiful binding is now quite worn, and the leather is deteriorating into a red powder; both covers are detached. Small piece cut from lower corner of Q2 (pages 115/116); a few additional marginal tears or paper flaws; most folding charts with minor stub or fold tears; the final plate "Black flying Opossum" facing page 297, with split at outer plate mark. Some foxing, browning, and occasional soiling; rectangular stain in upper gutter margin of pages 20-25 (from something once inserted?). A very good copy. An excellent candidate for rebinding. Armorial bookplate of Egremont on front pastedown.
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