BETAGH, William (early 18th-century). A Voyage round the World. London, 1728. FIRST EDITION.
8vo (193 x 109 mm). Folding map. (Lacking final blank, some mostly marginal soiling or browning.) Contemporary panelled calf gilt (expertly rebacked).FIRST EDITION of Betagh's account of the privateering expedition aboard the Speedwell with Captain Shelvocke. Shelvocke wrote his own narrative of the voyage in which Betagh is cast in a unfavorable light (see lot 185). Here he does his best to discredit Shelvocke while also describing his observations of the countries he visited, the customs of the people he encountered, and the techniques of gold and silver mining. "One of the most important of the buccaneering expeditions" (Hill). Alden & Landis 728/13; Borba de Moraes I:104; Hill 123; Howes B-402; JCB (1) III:411; Sabin 5057.
