The quest item, Maple History Book I, does not seem to spawn in properly. Normally, it's inside a crate that is placed on the airship interior during the route from Ellinia to Orbis. This crate does not spawn. The quest item does not seem to come from any other source. As such, I'm unable to complete this quest. I feel as if this may be a recent occurrence, or something that has not always been the case, as I searched the forum for information regarding this quest, and it's not been talked about.
I personally didn't have any trouble completing this quest, nor have I heard of this issue before. Have you tried taking the ship on a different channel or relogging?
I tried a few different channels, but I attempted on another character on a different day, and it suddenly spawned. I'll just have to keep trying.