BOOKS: (3) Vols Perry 1856 Exp. China Seas & Japan, Narrative of the Expedition of an American Squadron to the China Seas and Japan, Performed in the Years 1852, 1853, and 1854, under the Command of Commodore M. C. Perry, United States Navy. Compiled by Francis L. Hawks. A.O.P. Nicholson, Printer. 1856. Complete in 3 volumes. Hardcover. 9 x 11 1/2 inches. xvii, [1] errata, 537 incl. index; [viii], 414, [18] treaty in Japanese, xi Treaty in English and Index, [1] List of Charts; xliii, 705. Owner's name in light pen on title pages. In publisher's embossed cloth bindings. Volume I missing plates facing pages 144 and 459, but has a duplicate plate facing 261, with pages 257-264 also bound in twice. Two plates facing 463 are fold-out fac-similes of Japanese color woodblock prints, and there are maps facing pages 151, 187, 242, 483 and 512, with 2 being fold-outs. Volume II: plates numbered I-IV, Natural History I-XI (III-XII fish, colored), Ornithology 1-6 (all colored), Conchology plates I-V (II, V colored), graph plates I-XVI, folding sailing charts facing pages 355, 365, with some text from 354 torn and adhered to back of chart,14 folding maps bound at back, some very large, with varying amounts of creasing, crumpling and small tears. Signatures loose, with crude re-sewing done, punching holes the margins of pages and plates. Volume III: no separate plates, star charts printed throughout text.

Provenance: Property from the Collection of Charles E. Sigety

Notes/Literature: The late Charles E. Sigety was a renowned collector of Americana, ranging from examples of Norman Rockwell to important historic documents. A selection of his collection was sold at Christie's New York in 2016

Fair, plate facing page 81 of volume I titled "Mississippi" is detached but present, with creased corner, very small tears at edge, missing two plates as noted in description, binding of volume II with resewing visible, some foxing of plates and facing pages, cases worn through at corners with some tears in cloth, be advised that all lots in this sale will exhibit some degree of wear due to age and/or handling