Death of Lord Nelson by Ship Surgeon William Beatty first edition 1807

BEATTY, William. Authentic Narrative of the Death of Lord Nelson: With the Circumstances Preceding, Attending, and Subsequent to, that Event; the Professional Report on His Lordship's Wound; and Several Interesting Anecdotes.
 
London: T. Davison for T. Cadell and W. Davies, 1807.
 
First edition. Disbound. 8vo. iv, 99 pp. Text complete from title page to final page. Lacking the two plates called for by the printed directions to the binder, comprising the portrait of Nelson and representation of the ball, and lacking endpapers. First two leaves loose, with the gatherings largely detached from around p.80 onwards. Paper somewhat brittle, with scattered spotting, handling and edge wear. Title page with an old paper strip applied along the inner margin and a small marginal tear at foot. Previous owner's signature "B. H. Parry" to title. Fair / poor, but a textually complete reading copy.
 
The first edition of William Beatty's contemporary account of Nelson's death following the Battle of Trafalgar. Beatty was surgeon aboard HMS Victory and attended Nelson after he was mortally wounded on 21 October 1805. His account combines a narrative of the events surrounding Trafalgar with a detailed professional report on Nelson's wound, observations on his final hours, and anecdotes concerning his health and habits.
 
An important primary account of Nelson's death, here offered as an original first edition but poor condition.