"Richard Hakluyt's The Principal Voyages, Traffiques & Discoveries of the English Nation stands as one of the foundational monuments of English exploration literature, first compiled in the late 16th century to celebrate and document the maritime achievements of England. This early 20th-century J.M. Dent edition (Volumes 5, 6 & 7) presents part of the great expanded collection that chronicles voyages by sea and overland to the "remote and farthest distant quarters of the earth" across some sixteen centuries. Drawing from original narratives, letters, logs, and state papers, Hakluyt preserves firsthand accounts of merchants, navigators, adventurers, and diplomats who helped shape England's emergence as a global power.
These volumes continue the sweeping record of Tudor and early Stuart enterprise, detailing expeditions to the Americas, the Arctic, Africa, the Levant, Russia, and the East Indies. They capture the spirit of commercial ambition and imperial expansion, recounting encounters with unfamiliar peoples and landscapes while revealing the practical realities of navigation, trade, and survival. Hakluyt's editorial vision was not merely antiquarian; it was patriotic and strategic, designed to inspire further exploration and assert England's place among Europe's maritime nations.
Issued in Dent's handsome decorative binding and featuring the striking Arts and Crafts-inspired title pages characteristic of this edition, Volumes 5, 6, and 7 offer both literary substance and visual appeal. As part of the classic Hakluyt corpus, they remain indispensable to the study of early exploration and the development of British global influence. This set would appeal particularly to collectors of exploration history, maritime literature, and early accounts of English expansion overseas."
Minor wear and fading to covers and spines as shown. Pages are clean and bright. No inscriptions. All 3 volumes are in very good condition overall. Please study photos to further understand condition.
