An evocatively provenanced first edition of David Livingstone's exploration and missionary classic. Desirable in any state, this particular first edition bears the bookplate of Steve Bales.
At just 26 years of age, Steve Bales was appointed guidance controller by NASA Mission Control for the Apollo 11 mission to the moon and is often viewed as ultimately responsible for its success.
During the descent, an alarm went off showing that the guidance computer was overloaded. The computer recalibrated location every two seconds and was critical to the safety of the ship and crew. While many in the room wished to abort the mission, fearing the fallout for space exploration in general if there had been a disaster, Steve had run a simulation of the landing just a few weeks before and experienced a similar issue which the team had been able to resolve successfully. He gave the big thumbs up and Apollo 11 made history.
Steve went on to a storied career at NASA and also became a collector of all things "exploration," of all "one giant steps" taken, whether in the age of discovery or the space age.
There is a great interview with Bales here: www.theamerican.co.uk/pr/int-Steve-Bales-Moon-Landing.php
The first edition of Livingstone's missionary / exploration classic was not stable. By that we mean there are variants even within what is considered the "first edition," and ongoing debate and discussion about which variants are perhaps earliest in the sequencing. Bales' First Edition is Hakluyt variant IV, having the tinted three part frontis by Picken / Day, and illustrations 8 and 16 being by Whymper.
Livingstone, David. Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa; Including a Sketch of Sixteen Years' Residence in the Interior of Africa, and a Journey from the Cape of Good Hope to Loanda on the West Coast; thence Across the Continent, Down the River Zambesi, to the Eastern Ocean. With Portrait; Maps by Arrowsmith; and Numerous Engravings. London. John Murray. 1857. 657pp.
Handsomely presented in period full calf binding with raised bands, tooled compartments, and a contrasting morocco spine title label. Bookplate of Steve Bales neatly appended to front pastedown. The tri-fold frontis is very clean, tenderly attached and a small stain to the upper left corner [when opened]. One other full page plate detached, very clean with minor folding to foredge from its position forward in the text block. The rear folding map clean and fresh as the day it was printed. Small stain at head of front board, proceeding onto foredge of board as shown. The stain not infringing on the text block. Front hinge split at the top for 2.5 inches.
