Cannibal Nights: The Reminiscences of a Free-Lance Trader

London: Geoffrey Bles , 1927. First edition. Cloth. Very Good. 8.5" by 5.5". Not Stated . A scarce first UK edition of H E Raabe's recollections of his journeys and experiences across the regions of the South Seas. The first UK edition of this work, originally published in the US. The second printing in the same year as the first. Captain H. E. Raabe recounts his experiences as one of the pioneering captains to explore the regions of the South Seas. Telling of times when many ships would enter the mysterious waters and disappear without trace, and when cannibalism and piracy were rampant and it was only free lance traders who dared to venture into the obscure regions. A volume narrating numerous unusual adventures with much vividness and personal insight. Illustrated with a frontispiece and two full page plates, as well as a map. Collated, complete.  From the library at Julian Park, Hertfordshire, belonging to Audrey Pleydell-Bouverie. Audrey was the youngest daughter of an Anglo-American lumber and steel millionaire, sister to Edward James, a key figure in the Surrealist movement, and the illegitimate granddaughter of King Edward VII. She was an English socialite known for her beauty and for charming various wealthy men, she was included in The Book of Beauty by Cecil Beaton. A patron of the arts, she assisted Viscount Carlow financially in the publication of limited editions of numerous works by leading literary figures such as T E Lawrence, James Joyce, Wyndham Lewis, and others. A hedonistic pursuer, she was recognised as one of the 'Bright Young Things'.  In the original publisher's full cloth binding. Externally smart with minor shelf wear only and a minor bumping to the head and tail of the spine and extremities, the spine only slightly cocked forward with some minor soiling. Inscribed by a previous owner to the front free endpaper 'Pater: Many happy returns,' from D R dated 1928. Internally, firmly bound. The pages are bright and clean. Illustrated with a frontispiece and two full page plates, as well as a map. Collated, complete.  Very Good