A Naval Biographical Dictionary. Compromising The Life and Services of Every Living Officer in Her Majesty’s Navy, from the Rank of Admiral of the Fleet to that of Lieutenant, Inclusive. Compiled from Authentic Family Documents. [Two Volumes]

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A very handsome copy of this monumental biographical work; here bound in the nineteenth-century as two volumes. “O’Byrne was scarcely out of his teens and ‘a civilian, previously unconnected with the Service’ (O’Byrne, v), when he had the idea of compiling and publishing a record of the service of every living naval officer of the executive branch. Permitted access to Admiralty records, he worked at this for six years, publishing the first parts in 1845, and completed the volume of 1400 closely printed pages, on nearly 5000 officers, in 1849. The labour was great for the Admiralty records, his major source, were in a semi-chaotic state. He had extensive correspondence with his subjects, but he seems to have checked their statements against official documents in all cases. The Naval Biographical Dictionary is a work of almost unparalleled accuracy.” (ODNB)

Price: $250.00