Mayflower - A Voyage to War.

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.[Complete number line 1.] NFINE/FINE. No owner inscrptn and no price-clip (£20.00) to dw/dj.Bright,crisp,clean, matt, colour photographic illustrated front panel of embossed b/w lettering and other black printed letters to front,embossed black lettered spine,and black lettered critics' reviews for author's pair of other works; with negligible shelf-wear,bumping,creasing to edges and corners – no nicks,tears or splits present.Top edges with heavy dust-soiling spotting,fore-edges bright and cleaner without foxing/spotting; contents bright,tight,clean,solid and sound – virtually pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners,possibly unread,apart from my own collation.Publisher's bright,crisp,clean,sharp-cornered,original, plain black cloth boards with bright,crisp,blocked gilt lettering to spine/ backstrip and immaculate/clean plain dark tan sets of endpapers.UK, 8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn,x-xviipp+4-461pp [paginated] includes verso of contents list/table,list/table of 7 b/w maps - 4 double-paged,3 single page,a Preface,Pts I-V comprising 16 chapters in total,an Epilogue, profuse b/w reproduced contemporary illustrations,b/w photographs interspersed throughout the text,acknowledgements,Notes,a 29pp bibliography and an Index,Picture credits; plus [unpaginated] half-title, list of author's previous works with half of double-page black+grey illustrated title page to verso,a dedication with blank reverse,recto of contents page,list of maps with a blank verso,recto of first page of the Preface,and illustrated individual Pts separator pages. Visually the overall appearance is exceptional for a book of it's age,the top edge spotting the only detraction,and even internally, the book is in an exceptional condition/state of preservation and presentation.It is only the exterior faults described that prevents a higher grading. The story of the Pilgrim Fathers who set sail on the Mayflower in 1620 culminated in the bloody and little-known battle they waged against the native Americans during King Philip's war in 1675.For, behind the quaint and pious version of the mayflower story usually taught in schools,lies a largely untold tale of violence,subterfuge and epic drama.Following the Pilgrims from their journey from England on a battered,leaky ship, through their first bitter North American winter to their equally bitter battle against the native Wampanoag tribe fifty years later,bestselling author Nathaniel Philbrick paints a compelling picture of a grim determination to survive in an unforgiving and dangerously alien environment. Among the litany of hardships,however,are stories of friendship and co-operation among the settlers and indigenous peoples,whose timely assistance on more than one occasion rescued the Pilgrims from otherwise certain death.This delicate and unstable relationship continued until King Philips war,a conflict which decimated the English population and all but obliterated the Wampanoag.Central to the story of this decisive American battle are a host of marvellous characters, including Benjamin Church,the Plymouth-born frontiersman who used his knowledge of 'Indian ways' to help the British defeat King Philip and his foremost warrior Annawon.The latter's betrayal and ignoble death at the hands of the English victors dealt Church a heavy blow. In capturing the drama and uncertainty of the first fifty years of settlement at Plymouth,Philbrick's fascinating history sets the stage for the later developments that would define the American nation. ** Please contact seller,for correct shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas customers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! ** N.B. ALL buyers please note,stocks' actual shipping/P+p costs are adjusted and any difference is refunded,after order's receipt and before the order's despatch,especially if the item(s) are offered either P+p included/FREE. ** N.B. US/Canada customers please be aware: Standard AIRMAIL postage from UK to these destinations can now cost more than the price of the book! If speed is not of the essence,then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. anything from a 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always.