Collinson, Richard, Captain of HMS Enterprise—Hester, Henry, printer

Small 8vo, 46pp., sewn, original stiff paper wrappers, together with a later photograph of Hester with is polar medal, preserved in a chemise and morocco-backed clamshell case, wrappers with some fraying, soiling, and wear at fold

Henry Hester, annotations

Slight fraying, soiling and wear to wrappers
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

THE FIRST BOOK PRINTED IN ALASKA, ONE OF ONLY FOUR KNOWN COPIES; FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE PRINTER AND COXSWAIN OF THE ENTERPRISE, HENRY HESTER, WITH HIS ANNOTATIONS, TOGETHER WITH LATER ANNOTATIONS BY JANE, LADY FRANKLIN (WIFE OF SIR JOHN) AND QUEEN EMMA OF HAWAII. The Enterprise, under the command of Richard Collinson, was one of the vessels tasked with searching for Sir John Franklin.

Internal evidence suggests that the book was printed in November or December 1853. Paper was obviously in short supply – for the present copy, two stocks of white paper were used (Chinese, and English watermarked 'J. Green & Son 1831').

Only three other copies are known: one, in the British Library, is printed on blue paper; one in Duke University, North Carolina, on unknown paper stock; and one was sold by Lawrence’s of Crewkerne (21 July 2011, part lot 3170), printed on flimsy green paper.

The printed matter includes: a short biographical note on Queen Victoria; a list of the Lords of the Admiralty and the crew of the Enterprise; details of the sun’s bearing through the months; a list of the locations of provisions depots; an almanac for 1854, showing anniversaries of previous events during the voyage, with manuscript additions by Hester detailing events of 1854 and early 1855; concluding with a six-page account of the voyage.

There are two later non-authorial manuscript insertions, one from Queen Emma of Hawaii recalling the Enterprise’s visit to Honolulu in 1850, and one from Jane, Lady Franklin (wife of Sir John) dated 1865 recalling a visit to Hawaii in 1861, when she found “the visit of Captain, now Admiral Collinson in the ‘Enterprise’ was still fresh in the memory of all”.