Mr. Midshipman Easy - Captain Marryat, Illustrated by Fred Pegram (Macmillan, 1896)

This Macmillan illustrated edition (1896) is of interest to collectors of Captain Marryat, Victorian naval fiction, Fred Pegram illustrations, and decorative publisher bindings of the 1890s.

About: Very Good copy in the original deep navy blue cloth binding with elaborate gilt nautical design to front board and spine; striking peacock endpapers in gold and cream; binding firm with light wear to extremities and some rubbing to rear board; pages with light age toning; a visually spectacular copy with one of the finest Victorian decorative bindings in the genre.

Details:

• Title: Mr. Midshipman Easy
• Author: Captain Frederick Marryat
• Publisher: Macmillan and Co., London
• Publication Date: 1896
• Edition: Illustrated Edition
• Binding: Hardcover — original navy blue cloth with elaborate gilt nautical design
• Illustrator: Fred Pegram
• Condition: Very Good
  

Synopsis: Macmillan illustrated edition with Fred Pegram illustrations; spectacular navy and gilt nautical binding; striking peacock endpapers; appealing to collectors of Victorian naval fiction, decorative bindings, and Fred Pegram illustrated books.

Review: Captain Frederick Marryat's Mr. Midshipman Easy, first published in 1836, is one of the great naval adventure novels of the 19th century, following the irrepressible Jack Easy through his career in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic era. Fred Pegram's illustrations for this 1896 Macmillan edition bring fresh energy to the text, and the elaborate gilt binding — with its swirling nautical motifs, crossed swords, and seabirds — makes this one of the most visually distinguished editions of Marryat's work. The peacock endpapers are a particularly fine production detail characteristic of Macmillan's gift-book output of the period.