8vo. xi, [1], 354pp. With an engraved portrait frontispiece, one further engraved plate, and two engraved folding maps. Contemporary gilt-tooled half-calf, marbled boards, brown calf lettering-piece. Lightly rubbed and marked. Offsetting to title, scattered spotting.

An early edition of Washington Irving's (1783-1859) scholarly biography of Christopher Columbus. Primarily based upon the work of Spanish historian Navarette, Irving composed his accessible (though largely inaccurate) history of the famed explorer whilst serving as a diplomatic attache in Spain (1826-29).