The Dobbins Life-Boat by DOBBINS, D. P. [David Porter] - 1886

[Buffalo]: Art-Printing Works of Matthews, Northrup & Co., Office of the Buffalo Morning Express, 1886. Cloth. Very good. 8vo; 48pp; decoratively blind stamped front and back black cloth over board with title and life-boat silhouette gilt stamped to front cover; all edges red; decoratively patterned endpapers; facsimile author signature to presentation page; decorative head and tail piece to beginning and end of text; illustrated; discoloration to rear cover, light smudging of some pages, one pg protruding from binding but appears to be original; very good minus. In 14 WorldCat libraries but scarce except as a modern reprint. Published by the author to present his invention to "seafarers and professional life-savers" the boat which he felt was superior in design to others. The author was Superintendent of the Ninth District of the United States Life-saving Service, the forerunner to the U.S. Coast Guard. The author sets forth the several classes of boats in use and then, with illustrations, explains his "self-righting, self-bailing, and literally unsinkable" boat. Testimonials follow.