Travel & Voyages

Camps and Cruises of an Ornithologist – Frank Chapman – First edition 1908

A first edition, large octavo, 432 pages heavily illustrated as from black and white photographs. Published by Appleton, New York in 1908 a first edition. Good condition with the striking flamingo cover albeit with some pock marks to the fore and bottom edge. Internally nice, clean and tight.

Ornithology and travel have gone hand in hand since bird watching was invented and in this book travel around the greater North America has equal status with some rare feathery friends.

Frank Chapman was curator of ornithology at the American Museum of Natural History and a Fellow of everything relevant. After checking out Jays, Meadowlarks and Nighthawks near to home the party visit Gardiner’s and Cobb’s Islands on the Atlantic Coast. Then to Florida and Pelican Island … the Great Blue Heron, Water Turkey, Egret and the Cuthbert Rookery. A nice trip to the Bahama and the striking Flamingo, Egg Birds and the Booby and Man-o-War bird. Off to the west and the prairie birdlife, California and the Sierras before reaching north to Western Canada and the White Pelican’s. An unusual finale in England and stroking the Eider Duck.

Birds and getting around them done in style early 20thC.

$120.00

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The Dragon and the Lotus – Crosbie Garstin

Published by Heinemann in London, a first crown edition 1930. Thick octavo, 343 pages with sketches by the author of some standard and the handy endpapers for the geographically limited.

An informative and entertaining travel account which starts at the Ritz in Piccadilly amongst Cabinet Ministers, Army Officers and American musical Comedy Stars!

It does get more serious, and Garstin takes us nicely on his journey starting in earnest in the Pacific at Oahu then on to Japan, southward to Hong Kong, Macao then in to Tonking and the “House of Marvels”. Then to Yunnan-fu and Hue and the “Funeral of a King” and the “Marble Mountains”. To Saigon and north to Angkor and the “Vat” west to Bangkok and the river to Ayuthia for a bit of leisure and on home.

Travelling in Asia in a different era …….

$50.00

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IMAGO MVUNDI (MUNDI) – Vol 39 – With R.V. Tooley Obituary

The Journal of The International Society for the History of Cartography.

Published by Imago Mundi, King College London in 1987. Small folio, 136 pages plus advertisements. Illustrated with maps, charts and diagrams. original blue cloth with gilt titling and device. Very good condition.

An annual publication and the pinnacle of cartographic research. Superbly presented.

Contents include in French … La Mappemonde du Liber Floridus .. Danielle Lecoq; Vicente Pintado Surveyor General of Spanish west Florida – The man and His Maps by John Herbert; A Mapp of the Parioch of Tranent … cartography of John Adair by Moore and Notes on Vincenzo Coronelli by Rhodes. A the delightful obituary of Robert Vere Tooley (1898-1986) … the Master Map Collector and cataloguer extraordinaire.

Extensive book reviews provided an excellent bibliography for cartography enthusiasts.

Imago Mundi cannot be improved

$50.00

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Polar Item – Scott Centenary (1912 – 2012) – Christie’s Sale

One of the collectable Christies/ Bonham Polar Sale Catalogues.

Christies Travel, Science and Natural History Catalogue with a special emphasis on the Antarctic and the Scott Expeditions. Quarto, 60 pages illustrated to the expected impeccable standard.

Some exceptional travel items catalogued with a good Australian and Pacific content. Includes forty pages of unique Antarctic items that will make any enthusiast salivate.

Our favourites … Mawson’s specimen boxes, Shackleton’s sledge harness, letters from Apsley Cherry-Garrard to his mother (“I sleep under Bowers. It is going to be a very warm hut and we live very well here”), Ponting’s best photographs and Scott’s marching compass. Well we like it all really. We all missed the boat on this one!

Unique Polar items and other travel delicacies

$60.00

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Sinfonia Antartica – Vaughan Williams – London Philharmonic- 1970 Recording

In 1947 Vaughan William’s was invited to compose music for the Ealing Studios film “Scott of the Antarctic”. He was gripped by the subject and by 1949 was reshaping the themes into a Symphony.

It was first performed in Manchester in 1953. This superb vinyl recording by the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Sir Adrian Boult in 1970.

Each movement has a literary superscription. In some early recordings these were read out (once by Geilgud) although it is clear that Vaughan Williams intended them to be read silently by the listener, especially as he instructed that the third movement should flow continuously into the fourth for dramatic effect.

The words to the Epilogue come from Scott’s Last Journal … “I do not regret this journey; we took risks, we knew we took them, things have come out against us, therefore we have no cause for complaint”

Antartica is a deliberate spelling.

Vaughan Williams provides … a gigantic reflection on man’s isolation and ultimate vulnerability within the extreme untamed wilderness.

$40.00

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Antarctica – Evangelos Papathanassiou – Scarce Vinyl Pressing 1983

Fine copy of the soundtrack by “Vangelis” to Koreyoshi Kurahara’s 1983 film about the 1958 ill-fated Japanese scientific expedition to the South Pole, and the dramatic rescue from impossible weather conditions on their return journey. It’s as much about the survival of some of the dogs initially left behind as the people. Vangelis was invited to produce his dramatic electronic music score after the worldwide success of Chariots of Fire and Blade Runner.

The film was not that successful overseas, whilst being the Japanese sponsored entry it was not accepted in the foreign language section of the Academy Awards. Back home in Japan the beautiful huskies managed to get the film a Popularity Award.

Vangelis on the other hand shows his usual innovation and brilliance. Rare Japanese pressing. Perfect Condition.

Best listened to with the aircon very low

$40.00

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Camps and Cruises of an Ornithologist – Frank Chapman – First edition 1908

The Dragon and the Lotus – Crosbie Garstin

IMAGO MVUNDI (MUNDI) – Vol 39 – With R.V. Tooley Obituary

Polar Item – Scott Centenary (1912 – 2012) – Christie’s Sale

Sinfonia Antartica – Vaughan Williams – London Philharmonic- 1970 Recording

Antarctica – Evangelos Papathanassiou – Scarce Vinyl Pressing 1983

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