William Bligh's Voyage book to see $10,000 in New Zealand auction

Lieutenant William Bligh's 1792 A Voyage to the South Sea, his personal account of the famed Mutiny on the Bounty, is to lead a selection of exploration books in Art + Object's Rare Books auction in New Zealand.

William Bligh South Sea book
William Bligh was set adrift after the Mutiny on the Bounty in April 1789 and didn't arrive in England until March 1790



The April 9 auction features a selection of texts and memorabilia detailing various antipodean adventures, with the first edition of Bligh's book expected to sell for $6,843-10,265.

Bligh took command of the Bounty in 1787 and embarked on a voyage to Tahiti to bring back breadfruit trees to England for use as a food crop for sales.

However, the 3,000+ mile trip proved arduous, and on the return journey his crew mutinied and Bligh, along with the remainder of those loyal to him, was set adrift with little more than a small amount of water, four swords and a compass.

Also starring is a 1784 first edition of A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean in HMS Resolution by Captain James Cook, the famous explorer with whom Bligh had served. It is expected to make $5,000-8,000.

On March 27, Sotheby's will offer a map of the Southern and Pacific Oceans from Captain Cook in a sale dedicated to exploration memorabilia.

Paul Fraser Collectibles has a fantastic signed letter from polar explorer Ernest Shackleton, which was written aboard one of his voyages.


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