Sale 2455 - Printed & Manuscript Americana, September 28, 2017

292 “LOADED MY PISTOLES ANDTOOK MY SWORD ANDWENT ON DECK” 292 c   (WHALING.)Taber, John S. Captain’s journal of a mutinous whaling journey in the South Pacific. [256] manuscript journal pages plus [21] other manuscript pages. Folio, original 1 / 2 calf, moderate wear; contents generally clean though the handwriting is moderately difficult. Vp, 30 May 1839 to 18 April 1846 [8,000/12,000] John Smith Taber (1811-1891) of Fairhaven, MA married Mary Ann Spooner in February 1839, and that May set off as captain on a two-year whaling voyage to the New Zealand grounds through 15 August 1841, aboard the Good Return of New Bedford. The voyage was a successful one. 74 whaling ships left New Bedford in 1839 per Starbuck, many of them larger than the Good Return, but only one returned with a greater quantity of whale oil than the Good Return’s 3130 barrels.