Fiction

In the Great White Land (A Tale of the Antarctic Ocean) – Gordan Stables

Published by Blackie, London in the early 1930’s.

Octavo, 288 pages thick spongy paper and despite the spongy quite clean with some marks to the extreme per edge. Coloured frontispiece and three full page illustrations. Prize label on front end papers. Rare in the striking illustrated dust jacket.

Three stories and despite the subtitle starts with … “Far Away in the Frozen North” an Arctic adventure on the good barque Walrus and the oft frozen Captain Mayne Brace (great pun). Story two “Under the Southern Cross” requires no clue as to the general location with many icy encounters. Finally “On the Great Antarctic Continent” and the beauty and marvel of the Ice-Cave. The sledging journey across the tableland and the dash for the pole takes its lead from the great Heroic Era accounts.

Adventure in the frozen South – very South.

$80.00

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A Queensland Pair – A Story of Forty Year Ago – Thomas Symon – First and Only 1912 – Extremely Scarce

A soft cover only published in this form. Printed at Brisbane at the Sapsford Printers Adelaide Street. Compact, perfect bound octavo, 184 pages, some foxing nearer the ends generally quite clean and a worthy copy as scarce as hen’s teeth. A few coloured pencil marks around chapter XXII when things get a bit amorous. A bit mind you – this is 1912.

We think effectively self published the authors only book – he was a teacher at Ipswich may have retired before this work.

The brief Preface … “The Following story is founded on personal experience; and, as far as possible, without exaggeration … The characters are real: and as true to life as I could make them …”

Scarce Queensland novel and a bit of a curiosity.

$60.00

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The Foundation Trilogy [Foundation: Foundation and Empire: Second Foundation] and then The Stars, Like Dust; The Naked sun; I Robot – Complete & Unabridged – Isaac Asimov

A monster collection including Isaac Asimov’s greatest work the Foundation Trilogy and more all in one place.

This is a Book Club edition in association with the principal’s Heinemann, Secker and Octopus Book. Issued in 1982. Extra thick octavo, 863 pages. A very slight even tone to the pages due to the nature of the paper very clean throughout – an unread copy we suspect. Binding and dust wrapper very good. Too heavy for overseas without a postage supplement.

Asimov won the Hugo Award for BEST ALL Time Science Fiction Series with the trilogy … the Galactic empire crumbles but one man creates a new force for civilised life … it gets complicated.

And at the very end I, Robot … given the explosion of AI makes this a must read or a read again.

Asimov – his best stuff – will keep you going through the winter.

$50.00

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A Burnt-Out Case – Graham Greene – First Edition 1961 [Based in Africa - the Congo]

Published by Heinemann, London 1961 First Edition.

A very good copy with the brightest jacket we have seen.

Greene at his most powerful – character put to the ultimate test in the African Congo. Based on real life experiences – well Greene had many of them

Classic Greene First Edition

$50.00

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May We Borrow Your Husband? and Other Comedies of the Sexual Life – Graham Greene – First Edition – 1967 Fine Condition

Published by the Bodley Head, London in 1967, a first edition.

Octavo, 188 pages, with super dust jacket designed by Stephen Russ. Very good if not better condition with a fine complete dust jacket

Twelve short stories by Greene – “Comedies of the Sexual Life” many of which rank among his best.

The subtitle we are told not to be interpreted too narrowly … and we agree. Many different characters and settings, from the South of France to the Caribbean. The title piece is really super and packs in so much in just 40 pages.

We also like the reality of “The Over-night Bag” and the Invisible Japanese Gentlemen

Greene wit at its best .. makes a great and thoughtful gift.

$60.00

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Sete – Images of Provence – Seven Poems by Count Potocki of Montalk; Five Drawings by Marjorie Jackson- Pownall – Limited Numbered Eccentric Private Press

A scarce work by the rather odd Count Potocki of Montalk. Number sixty five of 120 copies set by hand by Count Potocki of Montalk, [which] have been printed by hand and foot by him.

Produced in the aforementioned style at The Melissa Press, Villa Vigoni, Chemin de St Martin, Draguignan, Var France – the authors home – 1972.

Printed on Fabriano watermarked paper – we are told in the introduction that “we went to Italy expressly to buy the art paper on which to print Marjorie Jackson-Pownall’s charming drawings, with their unambiguous clarity” ….

Large octavo, 18 pages, bound quarter green cloth over papered [wallpaper?] boards – a fine copy.

Copyright and limitation page, title, charming rather haphazard introduction, the poems and drawings – hints of risqué … see below authors background – artwork neat.

The Count was born in New Zealand in 1903. He is generally described as a poet, polemicist and pretender to the Polish throne – he did genuinely have connections. In 1926 he deserted his wife and child for Europe and the arts. First, to England where he developed his extreme right-wing views knew Mosley but, appears to have been more interested in Mosley’s wife. Moved to Draguignan in southern France after WWII mixed with fellow arty folks in the region and printed several unusual private press items. Backtrack – in England in the 1930’s he was sent to prison for attempting to publish what was then regarded as obscene literature – “the Lament of Sir John Penis” along with translations of Rabelais and Verlaine. He was supported in court by Leonard and Virgina Woolf. Aldous Huxley later arranged bail for another skirmish with the law and funded the purchase of Potocki’s first printing press.

Potocki was a truly odd one – often went about dressed in what he thought was medieval garb – tights, satin pyjamas all wrapped up in velvet curtains etc.

The eccentric Count Potocki of Montalk – a unique item

$120.00

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In the Great White Land (A Tale of the Antarctic Ocean) – Gordan Stables

A Queensland Pair – A Story of Forty Year Ago – Thomas Symon – First and Only 1912 – Extremely Scarce

The Foundation Trilogy [Foundation: Foundation and Empire: Second Foundation] and then The Stars, Like Dust; The Naked sun; I Robot – Complete & Unabridged – Isaac Asimov

A Burnt-Out Case – Graham Greene – First Edition 1961 [Based in Africa - the Congo]

May We Borrow Your Husband? and Other Comedies of the Sexual Life – Graham Greene – First Edition – 1967 Fine Condition

Sete – Images of Provence – Seven Poems by Count Potocki of Montalk; Five Drawings by Marjorie Jackson- Pownall – Limited Numbered Eccentric Private Press

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