Curiosities

Little Ragged Blossom and more about Snugglepot and Cuddlepie – May Gibbs – First Edition c 1920

Published Sydney: Angus Robertson no date but 1920 and a First Edition.

Quarto. Cloth backed pictorial boards with a colour vignette of Little Ragged Blossom pasted on with some wear. The odd mark – on the whole a very good copy.

The wonderful fantasy world of the gum-nut babies portrayed in glorious detail. Illustrated by Gibbs with two full colour plates and twenty wonderful sepia plates as well as pictorial end papers and many line illustrations in-text. Scarce in any condition. Reference the authority Muir 2752.

Little Ragged Blossom a May Gibbs Delight

$190.00

Updating cart…

TRUMP – Strategies for Real Estate [Billionaire Lessons for the Small Investor] George H Ross

Topical. And an alternative or companion to the Art of The Deal. Published by John Wiley in 2005 a first edition. Octavo, 232 pages with the odd image of the TRUMP successes in New York real estate.

Forward by TRUMP … who much admires George Ross who in turn much admires TRUMP … we think that is rule number one.

We could be critical and make more corny remarks but in reality [no attempted pun] the book is very informative, and the TRUMP tactics and ploys make a lot of sense … suggestions of a very through approach even if masked as casual. Enough said.

Can we learn from TRUMP … swallow hold breath – we think so!

$30.00

Updating cart…

Sarah Island – The Penal Settlement at Macquarie Harbour [West Coast Tasmania] 1831

A short historical brochure produced by the entertaining and hard working Round Earth Company – a good bunch.

Card covers 16 pages, including exterior, nice graphic production with a multi pot purri of facts about this once hell on earth convict establishment – or was it – they had a very nice bakery and a forge to die for – there again probably someone did!

A small item that will be reinvoiced at letter rates – or best with something else related … check our site.

Sarah island – a fascinating place with an equally fascination history – worth the trip out West.

$8.00

Updating cart…

Armorial Book-Plates. Their Romantic Origin and Artistic Development – Signed limited edition [Includes Mawson's Bookplate] Neville Barnett – published in 1932

Sought after reference and a beauty in itself.

Unusual faux snake-skin binding. Excellent condition 172 pages. Signed numbered limited edition of 300 copies.

With numerous book-plate illustrations with 17 tipped in originals from those of great fame (our favourite being that of Polar Explorer Douglas Mawson).

Chapters on the Origins of Armory; the Age of Chivalry; the Pageant of Heraldry; the Romance of Arms; German, French and British Book-plates the latter extensive and importantly Australian and New Zealand Armorial Book-plates.

Collectable work from the doyen of Australian Bookplates – Neville Barnett – Numbered Limited Signed edition with Sir Douglas Mawson’s bookplate.

$190.00

Updating cart…

U.F.O – Evaluating the Evidence – Bill Yenne

Who doesn’t like a good U.F.O book?

Published by Saraband, USA in 1997. Largish quarto, 160 pages, with a multitude of UFO images and related … corny UFO designed end paper … we like them. Nibble on dust jacket otherwise very good. A bit too big for economical Overseas postage.

The author is an aviation / space ex buff so the UFO interested is a related spin off [joke intended]. Some really good stuff in here as well as the usual “cover up” … not sure why government is so obsessed with hiding the truth about UFO … they may be friendly ….

UFO explained – lots of them – look up next time you are out!

$35.00

Updating cart…

Tek Sing Shipwreck Treasure [Recovered by Mike Hatcher] – Shipwreck in the Gaspar Straits 1822

Qing Dynasty decorated footed dish recovered by Mike Hatcher from the Tek Sing shipwreck. A very good clean example.

Niceley decorated and with peony and magnolia flowers and double lines at rim, simple decoration under rim. Strong colouring and no damage which is rare. 10.5 cm in diameter 2.5 cm high. Retains the auction reference sticker from the famous Nagel auction in Germany underneath.

A fine example of a Tek Sing shipwreck bowl

________________________

The Tek Sing Shipwreck – Background

The Tek Sing (Chinese for “Bright Star”’) was a large Chinese Junk which sank in 1822 in the South China Sea at the Belvidere Shoals. She was 50 meters long, 10 metres wide and weighed a thousand tons. Manned by a crew of 200. The great loss of life has led to the Tek Sing being referred to as the “Titanic of the East”.

Sailing from the port of Amoy (now Xiamen), the Tek Sing was bound for Jakarta, with a cargo of porcelain goods and 1,600 Chinese immigrants. After a month of sailing, Captain Lo Tauko took a shortcut through the Gaspar Straits and ran aground on a reef and sank in 100 feet of water.

The next morning and English East Indiaman captained by James Pearl sailing from Indonesia to Borneo passed through the Gaspar Straits. He found debris from the sunken Chinese vessel and survivors. They managed to rescue 190 people.

In 1999, marine salvor Mike Hatcher discovered the wreck. His crew raised what has been described as the largest cache of Chinese porcelain ever recovered. It was auctioned by Nagel in Stuttgart, Germany the following year

$140.00

Updating cart…

Little Ragged Blossom and more about Snugglepot and Cuddlepie – May Gibbs – First Edition c 1920

TRUMP – Strategies for Real Estate [Billionaire Lessons for the Small Investor] George H Ross

Sarah Island – The Penal Settlement at Macquarie Harbour [West Coast Tasmania] 1831

Armorial Book-Plates. Their Romantic Origin and Artistic Development – Signed limited edition [Includes Mawson's Bookplate] Neville Barnett – published in 1932

U.F.O – Evaluating the Evidence – Bill Yenne

Tek Sing Shipwreck Treasure [Recovered by Mike Hatcher] – Shipwreck in the Gaspar Straits 1822

Product Categories