8vo. In 36 parts. 526, 500, 223pp, [8]. With 38 engraved plates, many of which portraits, three additional engraved title pages (to Part 1, Part 33 and Part 35), and a large folding map of Bologne to Part 30.

Original publisher's pictorial buff paper wrappers. Rubbed and marked, with heavy spotting to wrapper of Part 1, light scattered spotting to wrappers of further parts. Part 25 mislabelled 24, and corrected; Part 31 mislabelled 16, and corrected. Some parts partially or fully unopened. Many wrappers detached, lower wrapper to the first part absent. Contemporary inked ownership inscription of R. Purdy of Aylsham to head of each upper wrapper, excluding Part 7.

Housed in three navy cloth solander boxes, with contrasting morocco lettering-pieces.

A rare survival, in the original parts, of Clarke and M'Arthur's biography of Nelson, expanded from the two-volume folio edition of 1809 with the addition (in volume three) of memoirs from Nelson's naval sergeant Allen, his flag captain Hardy, and his successor as Commander in Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet in the wake of his death at Trafalgar.

This work was evidently available in at least three different formats; in three printed volumes, as per the title pages and pagination; seven 'divisions'; and rarest of all, in this 36-part format, with fragile paper wrappers reminiscent of many weekly issued Victorian novels, as popularised by the publishers of Charles Dickens.

Provenance: from the library of Ronald Fiske of Norfolk; he has noted it is 'Extremely Rare. I know of no other copy in the original parts (it came from Purdy of Aylsham).'