Aboriginal

Cooksland in North-Eastern Australia – John Dunmore Lang – First Edition 1847 – Fine Binding

A first edition of Lang’s lengthy book on territory that was essentially shortly to become Queensland. Cooksland was his offered naming and recommending a southern boundary down south of the Clarence River, in modern day NSW.

John Dunmore Lang (1799-1878) hold a important place in the history of and recording of the settlement period. He was instrumental in promoting immigration from both Britain and Germany. Regarded as Australia’s first Republican.

Published by Longman Landon. Octavo, 496 pages with folding map of the proposed “Cooksland”’ as frontispiece, six illustrations of views which are tinted and a portrait of Dr Leichardt. Rebound in full calf by Roger Perry to a super standard. Separate red leather title with gilt work to compartments on spine. Internally some quiet heavy foxing in patches … other area quite clean. Scarce.

The contents are varied and the dry patches of typical Lang on the “artificial productions” of Cooksland can be a bit dreary. However interspersed this some important and lengthy narrative. Such as Leichhardt’s travels from Moreton Bay to Port Essington. Leichhard’s letter from around the Glass House Mountains; Andrew Petrie’s travels to Wide Bay; Schmidt’s travels to the Bunya-bunya tree country. Also, he allocated 130 pages to the aborigines, and whilst he writes with a degree of Lang arrogance there is some useful information there.

Cooksland a unique Dunmore Lang work – some foxing but complete and nicely bound in full leather.

$390.00

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Report on Australian Languages and Traditions (Parts I and II Complete) – Rev William Ridley MA – 1872/3

An original extract from the Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute 1872/73 pages 257-291. Octavo, soft modern wraps for protection, very good copies.

William Ridley (1919-1878) a supporter of the aboriginal community and compiler of languages .. a talented linguist. He arrived in Sydney in 1850 at the request of Rev J.D. Lang. Ordained and went to the New England are which he expanded into Moreton Bay and the Darling Downs. For financial reasons he later took on the roles of pastoralist and Journalist. He continued his interest in the aboriginal people and was the author of a landmark book on the Kumilaroi, Dippil and Turrubul people published in 1866.

These significant papers start with the detail of a thousand plus mile tour around outback NSW. This report is notes to be supplementary to the aforementioned book. Lists “new words” of Paces, with their meaning; Additional Words and Phrases in Kamilaroi, Wailwun etc; Pikumbul – spoken on the Macintyre. He goes on to deal with Social Classification, and Laws of Marriage and Descent; Religious and Mythical Traditions; The Bora; Funeral rites; the Krodjis and their Enchantments; the Recollections of Billy Murri Bundar; Traditions Concerning the Stars [especially interesting to Voyager].

In Part II, Ridley presents his own work on the Kamilaroi, Turrubul and Dippil alongside Gunther and Watson’s on the Wirradhurri, Daniel Bunce in Victoria and Hume on the West Coast. Presenting key words in tabular form.

Rare publication of supplementary work on aboriginal languages and customs by authority William Ridley

$60.00

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The Antiquity of the Aborigines of Australia and Tasmania – The Discovery of Gold – Magnetism etc – Georgina King FRASA – Sydney 1924

A self-published pamphlet by Georgina King of work previously published in the “Sunday Times”. Printed by William Brooks, Sydney and issued in 1924.

Octavo, 23 pages, soft wrappers as issued, three illustrations in the text regarding aboriginals. Some age from use still a very good copy.

The articles are as per the title … The Antiquity of the Aborigines of Australia and Tasmania – Two Stone Ages in Australia; The Discovery of Gold and How it was Found in Payable Quantities; Magnetism – terrestrial and Universal; Diamond and Their Origin.

A most usual body of work. Georgina King (1845-1932) was an amateur geologist and anthropologist. As a woman she was excluded from the “professional” category e.g. she was not allowed to read her own paper at the Royal society of NSW. Her ideas were rather whacky though and make for interesting reading … they did not stop her becoming a Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Society. The daughter of Rev George King she was advised by him and naturalist Bennett not to marry if she wanted to get on in her chosen filed. She corresponded with Robert Logan Jack regarding geology and Huxley on natural sciences. In her eccentricity she blamed other for stealing her ideas, including Edgeworth David on her radical concepts of the earth’s formation and Einstein on the theory of relativity. She believed diamonds were fossilised marine organisms … quoting from the paper contained here …

“Diamonds existed as marine organisms. They are composed of pure carbon, containing only a little hydrogen, and the most minute particles are often found in what were small cavities, perhaps their breathing apparatus; some were like feathers. The cleavages of the diamond were the gills of those marine organisms …”

Her article of the aborigines is a lot more grounded. She was a friend of Daisy bates and provided financial support to Bates for her work among aboriginal people.

Georgina King isolated Australian Scientist with some wild ideas and some interesting ones.

$50.00

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The Jubilee History of Tasmania – Two Volumes – First Editions1887

Complied by Thaddeus Leavitt with a significant contribution from then Hobart historian, James Fenton.

Covers more as title continues … illustrated, with which is incorporated, the Early History of Victoria, Biographical Sketches, as well as incorporating some of the author’s earlier volume the Australian Representative Men.

Two volumes, large heavy set of near 1000 pages in original publishers half morocco with gilt page edges and designs (a superior binding), a little rubbed but really and excellent set. Very clean and crisp internally.

Full of historical information, with many illustrations and hundreds of biographies. Topics include Aborigines, Businesses, Churches, Dutch East India Co, Education, Exploration, Famine, Institutions, Land Grants, Newspapers, Supreme Court, Wool and much more.

The engravings of commercial building of the day of very interesting both in Tasmania and Victoria … seem to be quite a few pubs among them … and some coffee houses!

Very good Tasmanian and Victorian History – Scarce and nicely bound

$890.00

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Two Representative Tribes of Queensland – John Mathew – First Edition 1910

Two Representative Tribes of Queensland – With and Inquiry Concerning the Origin of the Australian Race.

A scarce and sought after ethnological work. First edition published by T. Fisher Unwin, London in 1910.

Octavo, 256 pages, rough cut edges., some pages not yet opened. Hints of foxing, generally very clean and tidy. Original red cloth covered binding with gold title to front a spine. A little flecked, not as bad as usual. Includes a map and six illustrations from photographs. Tables of vocabulary, genealogy etc A very good copy of a desirable work.

The author, a Presbyterial Minister migrated from Scotland to Queensland to work on his uncles farm in 1864. He took a great deal of interest in the aboriginal people. And this work which includes significant discussion regrading social behaviour and language was regraded as pioneering in the field of anthropology. He spent a lot time with the Kabi and Wakka people living around Barambah.

A wonderful pairing with the Walter Roth book on the tribes of North-West-Central area of Queensland.

Important work of the aboriginal people

$390.00

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A Journal of the Endeavour Voyager – James Magra

This is a fine facsimile published by Israel Amsterdam in 1967. Note titles “Cook” by Israel but not the author.

The original account … A Journal of a Voyage Round the World in His Majesty’s Ship Endeavour, in the Years 1768,1769,1770 and 1771 etc published by Becket and Hondt in the Strand in 1791. Quarto, 130 pages plus 3 pages of vocabulary of the language of Otahitee.

Published two years before the official Hawkesworth account in 1793 and now generally attributed to James Magra.

James Magra was a New Yorker and American sympathiser and accordingly to James Cook a man of dubious quality. Almost impossible to find in original form … this was the first published book describing the East Coast of Australia and includes for example reference to Stingray Bay the name given to Botany Bay by James Cook before the latter was adopted sometime before Hawkesworth.

Magra’s account and essential Cook ingredient

$80.00

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Cooksland in North-Eastern Australia – John Dunmore Lang – First Edition 1847 – Fine Binding

Report on Australian Languages and Traditions (Parts I and II Complete) – Rev William Ridley MA – 1872/3

The Antiquity of the Aborigines of Australia and Tasmania – The Discovery of Gold – Magnetism etc – Georgina King FRASA – Sydney 1924

The Jubilee History of Tasmania – Two Volumes – First Editions1887

Two Representative Tribes of Queensland – John Mathew – First Edition 1910

A Journal of the Endeavour Voyager – James Magra

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