From Rock and Tempest, by Kenneth Walthew

From Rock and Tempest, The life of Captain George William Manby
Kenneth Walthew

George William Manby, born in 1765, was a prolific inventor who belongs in the great tradition of lovable English eccentrics. after a varied career he resolved, a the age of 40, to devote himself to saving lives at sea. A personal experience of a shipwreck led to his developing te apparatus (which still bears his name) for projecting a lifeline to stranded ships by means of a gun.Among his other numerous inventions were the breeches buoy and a portable fire extinguisher. He was the first man to advocate a national fire brigade and was the true founder of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. Despite all this he failed to gain official recognition in  his lifetime and he is little known today. The fame and fortune which he hoped for constantly eluded him and his ceaseless importuning of royalty and government ministers in the hope of receiving a knighthood only resulted in a series of snubs that eventually alienated his own family. He dies in solitary poverty in his cottage near Great Yarmouth at he age of 89.

Hardback with dust jacket. Dust jacket torn at top front (no pieces missing). Good condition.

175 pages
16 pages of b&w photographs/illustrations
146 mm x 222 mm (6 in x 8.75 in)
1971, Geoffrey Bles, London