Item 96 is a fourth edition account from 1524 (following the first of 1523) of the first report of the Magellan
expedition, the first to circumnavigate the globe. It was prepared by Maximimianus Transylvanus, who interviewed
the survivors. Magellan set out in 1519 with five ships and 265 men. Only one ship and 18 men survived to make
it back home. Ferdinand Megellan was not one of them. Though he is regularly credited as first to circumnavigate
the Earth, the reality is that Magellan himself never made it. He was killed in a battle with natives in the
Philippines. Item 96. $30,000.
It's been a long time, but the story of Fatme, a young Turkish girl, is still touching today. It is told in a
1697 letter by Paul Bodin, a Jesuit missionary, sent to his superior. Fatme was a Muslim girl who was taken in by
Vmin Tousseph, an impoverished Christian woman with an abusive husband. Tousseph told Fatme that she was
sustained by her faith, which inspired Fatme to convert. This infuriated her father, who had already promised
Fatme in marriage. To avoid the disgrace, he hatched a plan whereby Fatme's sister would take her place.
However, the existence of Fatme could spoil the plan, so he arranged to have Fatme's sister first poison her.
And so it was. Fatme died in Tousseph's arms. Item 16. $7,500.
Item 122 is Woodes Rogers' A Cruising Voyage Round the World.... published in 1726. This voyage is
particularly memorable for picking up Alexander Selkirk, stranded for years on Juan Fernandez Island. Selkirk's
name may not be that well known, but the fictional character he inspired, Robinson Crusoe, surely is. Woodes'
expedition would round Cape Horn and proceed as far north as California. The map shows California as it was
believed to be at the time, an island. $3,000.
You may find the William Reese Company and its catalogues online at www.reeseco.com, or call them at 203-789-8081.
Rare Book Monthly
Book Catalogue Reviews - November - 2005 Issue
Travels and Voyages from William Reese
Maximilianus' account of Megellan's circumnavigation.
