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Madeira Spectroscopic, being a Revision of 21 Places in the Red half of the Solar Visible Spectrum with a Rutherford Diffraction Grating at Madeira in the Summer of 1881 – C Piazzi Smyth – Astronomer Royal Scotland – 1882.

Anyone who follows Voyager will know how much we adore Charles Piazzi Smyth read his wiki – too much for here. The Piazzi is after his Italian father-in-law and astronomer who influenced the Smyth family to set up their own observatory when CPS was very young. At near to sixteen he was off to South Africa to assist in astronomical experiments and it all expanded from there – his work of the Great Pyramid of Cheops is also something else.

Newton has written that the only way to improve the quality of astronomical images [having regard to size and quality of optics] was to take instruments higher in the atmosphere. CPS became an expert in this and pioneered trips to Teneriffe and Madeira to lug his instruments to higher ground – always accompanied by his knowledgeable wife. There we gave you a bit – like all these people of the times his brothers and sisters had similarly interesting lives.

Solar spectroscopy became a particular interest … as an aside he promoted the use of the Browning Rainband Spectroscope [we usually have one for sale]. At Madeira he went for the diffraction grating rather than prism combination. The results are scientific glory and nicely presented in this work published by Johnston, Edinburgh in 1882.

Square quarto, cloth binding with gilt rule and titles, 32 pages, 18 plates on in striking colour, vignette to title page. Some foxing but excuse it for its rarity, author and spot in astronomical history.

Charles Piazzi Smyth [1819-1900] top rank astronomer and pyramidologist.

$490.00

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An Inquiry into the Animism and Folk-lore of the Guiana Indians by Walter Roth – First Edition 1915

Those that know about Walter Roth and his incredible work and publications relating to the Northern Queensland aboriginals may be surprised with this similarly important anthropological work on the native Indians of Guiana [Guyana].

Without raking too much up, Roth was more or less expelled for his Queensland work as, in his obsession for detail, he was deemed to overstep the mark more than once. However, he was quickly given a plum job in British Guiana.

Roth was employed in British Guiana as stipendiary magistrate, medical magistrate and district commissioner and was responsible for producing the Aboriginal Protection Order of 1910. Continuing his anthropological work, he made three extensive field expeditions which formed the basis of this book and various related papers. On his retirement he stayed there and became the curator of the Georgetown Museum and government archivist. He died there in 1933.

Walter Roth had a fascinating life and produced some special work that without him would have been lost to the World.

$240.00

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Men without Women – Ernest Hemingway – 1955 Jonathan Cape Edition.

The hardest of the Jonathan Cape editions to find, and collectable because of that and the striking wrap around dust jacket by Hans Tisdal with his special font design.

This edition published in 1995 the second printing in this new crown format same year as the first of type. Octavo, 222 pages, a little age but excuse if for its rarity.

Maybe only Hemingway could choose this title for this collection of short stories encompassing every emotion.

Fourteen short stories including The Killers; A Simple Enquiry; An Alpine Idyll; Banal Story; Hills Like White Elephants and Che ti dice la Patria.

Reality of life from Hemingway – scarce edition

$120.00

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The Night Manager – John Le Carre – First edition published by Knopf, New York in 1993.

A handsome book in the hand, large octavo, 429 pages, plus acknowledgement, printing details etc. Jacket rubbed along leading edge otherwise a fine copy.

“On a snow-swept January evening of 1991, Jonathan Pryce, the English night manager of the Hotel Meister Palace in Zurich, forsook his office behind the reception desk and, in the grip of feelings he had not known before, took up his position in the lobby as a prelude to extending his hotel’s welcome to a distinguished late arrival”

Needs no further introduction other than to say the rather brilliant mini-series is worth the watch also albeit a little over glamourised.

Le Carre’s characters do move with the times, something we like about his writing. However we cannot believe the ‘first” is as long back as 1993 – where have the year gone!

Night Manager – now a standalone Le Carre classic and a punchy read

$50.00

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Mining Smelting Railways of the Rosebery region [Western Tasmania] – Ian Stewart – 1984

We really admire the likes of Ian Stewart who put the effort in to gather, digest and present histories of the likes of Rosebery and its surrounding region at the very heart of geology and mining in Tasmania – so much potentially to be forgotten history.

Published in 194 as a second edition – we cannot find a first and only one other second for sale. Would have been produced in small numbers.

Sponsored by the EZ Mining Company. Larger format card covers, deign to front, staple bound, 70 pages. Acknowledgements inside back cover, map of the region including the railways and tram lines, many images from period photographs, very grainy images but forgive them for their relevance and rarity.

Whilst focused around Rosebery [our favourite continuing Tasmanian mine] we have good content on Dundas, Mt Williamsford and Zeehan and its before time smelter capacity [Originally German owned and taken at the outset of WWI]. The rapid development and demise of Dundas – the two foot rail gauge and the politics around the Emu Bay destination all add interest.

Rosebery Mining a fascinating history

$50.00

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Mining by W.D. & H.O. Wills – hard to find complete set of 50 cards circa 1912 issued by Wills of Bristol and London.

Very good condition, now protected in standard card wallets.

Seven cards represent Coal Mining featuring Miner Holing; Miner Drilling and Blasting; Electric Coal Cutters; Electric Train; Taking Coal to Pit Mouth by Pony; At the Bottom of the Shaft; Sorting and Cleaning Coal and the all important Mine Surveyor.

Cards specific to Australia include B.H.P. Silver Mine Mechanical Feed and a General View of the Mine … Mount Morgan Gold (with it interesting story) anD Digging and Washing Sapphires in Queensland.

The rest Of the world is represented including Asbestos at Thetford Canada; China Clay at St Austell Cornwall; Copper at the famous Rio Tinto Mine Spain; Diamonds at Kimberley; Tin at Perak Malaya; Turquoises from Nishapour, Persia; Rock salt in Cheshire; Rubies from Burma etc etc

Large 50 card Mining set over 100 years old.

$120.00

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Madeira Spectroscopic, being a Revision of 21 Places in the Red half of the Solar Visible Spectrum with a Rutherford Diffraction Grating at Madeira in the Summer of 1881 – C Piazzi Smyth – Astronomer Royal Scotland – 1882.

An Inquiry into the Animism and Folk-lore of the Guiana Indians by Walter Roth – First Edition 1915

Men without Women – Ernest Hemingway – 1955 Jonathan Cape Edition.

The Night Manager – John Le Carre – First edition published by Knopf, New York in 1993.

Mining Smelting Railways of the Rosebery region [Western Tasmania] – Ian Stewart – 1984

Mining by W.D. & H.O. Wills – hard to find complete set of 50 cards circa 1912 issued by Wills of Bristol and London.

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