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[William Rufus Chetwood,]
The Voyages, Dangerous Adventures and imminent Escapes of Captain Richard Falconer (London: W. Chetwood/ T. Jauncy/ A. Bettesworth/ J. Brotherton/ W. Meadows/ J. Graves, 1720).

The Voyages, Dangerous Adventures and imminent Escapes of Captain Richard Falconer (London: W. Chetwood/ T. Jauncy/ A. Bettesworth/ J. Brotherton/ W. Meadows/ J. Graves, 1720).

THE| VOYAGES,| Dangerous| Adventures| And imminent| ESCAPES| OF| Captain Richard Falconer:| Containing| The Laws, Customs, and Manners of the| Indians in America; his Shipwrecks; his Marry-|ing an Indian Wife; his narrow Escape from the| Island of Dominico, &c.| Intermix'd with| The VOYAGES and ADVENTURES of| THOMAS RANDAL, of Cork, Pilot; with| his Shipwreck in the Baltick, being the only Man| that escap'd: His being taken by the Indians of| Virginia, &c.| [rule]| Written by Himself, now alive.| [rule]| Bold were the Men who on the Ocean first| Spread their New Sails, when Shipwreck was the worst.| More Danger now from Man alone we find,| Than from the Rocks, the Billows, or the Wind.| WALLER.| [rule]| LONDON,| Printed for W. CHETWOOD, at Cato's Head, in| Russel-street, Covent-Garden; T. JAUNCY, at the| Angel without Temple-Bar; A. BETTESWORTH,| in Pater-noster-Row;| J. BROTHERTON, and W.| MEADOWS in Cornhill; and J. GRAVES, in St.| James's-sreet. 1720.

Description

[3 "Books" sep. pag.] 1: p.[i] frontispiece [a European at the stake ready to be killed by the red Indians; signed: J. Cole sculp.]/ p.[iii] titlepage/ p.[v]-vi dedication: Thomas Hanmer; signed: R. Falconer/ p.[vii]-viii preface dat.: Canterbury, 7 Nov. 1719; signed: R. Falconer/ p.1-72/ 2: p.[1]-136/ 3: p.[1]-224 [recte: 178 - the last sheet paginated: p.223/224]/ 8°.

Shelf-markslink

{L: G.13244} {NA:MH: EC7/C4268/720v.}.

Bibliographical Reference

ESTC: t072045.

Author

Chetwood, William Rufus (†1766) - cf. Dictionary of National Biography, 10 (London, 1887), p.211-12.

History of Publication
  a this editionThe Voyages, Dangerous Adventures and imminent Escapes of Captain Richard Falconer (London: W. Chetwood/ T. Jauncy/ A. Bettesworth/ J. Brotherton/ W. Meadows/ J. Graves, 1720).
  b [...] (1724). [ESTC: n072046]
  c [...] (1734). [ESTC: n000024]
  d [...] (1752). [ESTC: t175705]
  e [...] (1769). [ESTC: n032514]
Self-classification

preface: "Book".

Remarks

Begins like Robinson Crusoelink - the hero leaves his father to become a sailor. As Crusoe Falconer has to survive on an island, not for a long time, however, which is fine as loneliness is much more a threat to Falconer than it was to Crusoe (vol. 1: p.66: he is afraid of loosing his capacity to speak); again and again he is captured by ubiquitous enemies. One has to flee islands, to escape confinements, to fight against pirates, one looses men of ones crew; takes ship-wrecked survivors on board, meets with other Nations; espacially the Spanish and the red Indians are noteworthy. All this is enriched with news from other parts of the world and sometimes even (vol. 1: p.52-53/ vol 2: p.103-05) with poetry from Shakespeare, Milton and Dryden to Waller. Falconer even has an Ovid-edition with him which seems to be waterproof (vol 2: p.54 the book becomes a present - Falconer nearly drowned before). Vol. 2: p.32-33: lighthearted reflections on the possibility to present the whole account in order to strengthen religion. Vol. 3: p.69: insertion of F. Alcaforados Historical Relation of the first Discovery of the Isle of Madera, first published in English in 1675 {L: G.2935}.

o.s.