19th Century and Prior Classics

Charlotte Barton: Australia’s First Children’s Author – Marcie Muir

A nice piece of work by Marcie Muir, font of all knowledge regarding Australian Children’s Books.

A 35-page octavo card covered pamphlet published by Wentworth Books, 1980. A limited edition of 500 copies this one not numbered or signed so we are not sure if that is correct. A very nice copy.

It was originally thought, an recorded by Ferguson, that the author of the first Australian children’s book “A Mother’s Offering to her Children” published Sydney 1841 was Lady Gordan Bremer. This work by Marcie proves beyond doubt that it was in fact Charlotte Barton. Drawing on a number of sources including Mrs Mins and Mrs Fanning both who wrote to Marcie the author pieces together the evidence and presents it in a very readable, entertaining and informative way. We like it!

Charlotte Barton proven as first Australian children’s author.

Postage will be reduced to cost appropriately on this light weight item.

$20.00

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The Jason Voyage – the Quest for the Golden Fleece – Tim Severin

Published by Guild Publishing, London 1985. Octavo, 263 pages well illustrated and with charts etc. A very good near fine copy.

13th century BC and Jason sets sail in his galley to find the Golden Fleece. Legend or fact? From Greece across the Aegean through the Dardanelles and Sea of Marmara and the Bosphorus and up along the Black Sea all the way to Colchis were Jason found the “fleece”’ and his bride Medea.

Tim Severin had already tested the legend of St Brendan who sailed a leather boat from Ireland to America. And repeated the voyages of Sinbad. For Jason he built a twenty-oar galley and repeated the 1,500 mile voyage … a few volunteer oarsmen were required! Superb mytho-archaeology [our word]

Tim Severin put it all into Jason and proved the possibility

$25.00

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Il Pentamerone; or, The Tale of Tales – Basile – Translated Sir Richard Burton KCMG – First and Limited Edition – 1893

Being a Translation by the Late Sir Richard Burton, K.C.M.G., of Il Pentamerone;OveroLo Cuntode Li Cunte, Trattenemiento de Li Peccerille, of Giovanni Battista Basile, Count of Torne (Gian Alessio Abbattutis).

First edition in two volumes published by Henry and Co, London 1893. Published posthumously by his devoted wife Lady Burton.

A limited edition of 1,500 copies. Two volumes, octavo, 282 pages, [283]-562 pages. Original dark blue (near black) buckram cloth, gilt lettered. Minor rubbing to spine ends. Overall a very good clean set of a sought after Burton work.

The stories in the Pentamerone were collected by Basile and published posthumously by his sister Adriana in Naples in 1634 and 1636 under the pseudonym Abbatutis. The stories were later adapted by a number of authors including the Brothers Grimm who acknowledged the use of stories in the Pentamerone in Cinderella, Rapunzel, Puss in Boots, Sleeping Beauty and Hansel and Gretel.

Basile recorded the stories in Neapolitan and is regarded as the first writer to record the Neapolitan intonations. The style is heavily Baroque with many metaphorical expressions.

The term Pentameone comes from the Greek “pente” or five and “hemera” day. The work is set within a “frame story” with fifty separate tales being told over the course of five days … referencing Baccaccio’s Decameron of 1353 which has a ten day structure.

Beautiful stories translated by the genius that was Sir Richard Burton. Limited first edition.

$170.00

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The Arabian Droll Tales – Translated by Carlo De Fornaro – Limited Numbered Edition 1929

Published by the Lotus Society, New York 1929. Number 461 of a limited edition of 550. A Zaidenberg illustrator.

Octavo, 200 pages, original half green cloth and exotic paper covered boards with original stylish paper label to spine. The beautiful paper has some rubbing as usual. Otherwise a very good clean example. Still uncut to a large degree.

The translator, Carlo De Fornaro (1871-1943), was quiet a character. He later described himself as artist, writer and revolutionary (he got well wrapped up in the politics of Mexico).

The Droll Tales consist of 13 classic semi-erotic tales from the east including; The Runaway Lover of Thaquif; The Perverse Dervish; The Blemished Virgin; The Dimpled Beauty and The Donkey Driver’s Mistress.

For those that are nervous … the tales are interesting, fun and rather mild really!

Lusty tales from Arabia – Presented Nicely

$80.00

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Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte

Published by the Modern Library, New York 1950. Our favourite “modern”‘ edition. Octavo, 400 pages. Pretty good condition albeit with a crease to the dust jacket at the front. As with all of our jacketed book now protected in removable Brodart. Private name stamp to the half title.

A wonderfully informative introduction by Royal Gettmann, Professor of English Literature, University of Illinois. And a preface and biographical notice by Currer Bell (Charlotte Bronte). Nice chapter heading illustrations throughout.

many believe the number one novel of all time.

Emily Bronte Classic

$40.00

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The Songs of Sappho – Miller and Robinson – Fine Production 1925

A beautiful edition published by Frank-Maurice, New York in 1925.

Longer Title … “the Songs of Sappho – Including the Recent Egyptian Discoveries – The Poems of Erinna – Greek Poems about Sappho – Ovid’s Epistle of Sappho to Phaon”. Translated by Marion Mills Miller (Editor of “The Classics – Greek and Latin”) with Greek texts prepared and annotated and literally translated in prose by David Moore Robinson, Professor in Classics, John Hopkins University.

Large octavo, 435 pages, rough cut page edges as issued. Very good near fine copy, original green boards with quarter vellum to spine with gilt titles. Top edge richly gilt. A limited edition of 750 copies. Ten full page plates.

Sappho (630BC – 570BC) was an archaic Greek poet from the island of Lesbos. Sappho is best known for her poems about love and women. Most of the poetry is now lost and surviving items are mainly in fragments, except for one complete poem “Ode to Aphrodite”. Little is known of Sappho’s life, although likely from a wealthy family. Sappho was exiled to Sicily around 600BC … legend surrounds her love for the ferryman Phaon.

Sappho’s work has continued to influence writers. Beyond her poetry she is known as a symbol of love and desire between women.

From “Old Love is Best”’ …
“Whose soft footfall sets my heart a-bounding
Wilder than when the clarions are sounding;
Whose bright face hath power more to charm me
Than Lydia’s army!”

Finely bound beautiful Sappho – 1925

$120.00

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Charlotte Barton: Australia’s First Children’s Author – Marcie Muir

The Jason Voyage – the Quest for the Golden Fleece – Tim Severin

Il Pentamerone; or, The Tale of Tales – Basile – Translated Sir Richard Burton KCMG – First and Limited Edition – 1893

The Arabian Droll Tales – Translated by Carlo De Fornaro – Limited Numbered Edition 1929

Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte

The Songs of Sappho – Miller and Robinson – Fine Production 1925

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