Australiana

An Account of the Discoveries Made in the South Pacific Ocean – Alexander Dalrymple

A quality production, Number 3 in the Australian Maritime Series published by Hordern House, Sydney.

A Limited edition of 950 copies hand bound in midnight blue Scottish calf with marbled papered boards. Designed by Margo Snape.

Octavo, 103 pages plus portrait frontispiece, six folding plates and folding map at rear. All in very good condition.

First published in 1767 one of the rarest accounts. First time reissued faithfully reproduced.

The original account used as a reference on the Endeavour and mentioned by Banks and Cook.

Dalrymple lead Cook to Australia

$100.00

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Back O’ Cairns – Ion Idriess – First Edition 1958

Published by Angus and Robertson a first edition 1956.

Octavo, 310 pages end paper maps, other maps and illustrations from period photographs.Previous ownership name cut from corner of front free end paper otherwise a very good copy.

Ion Idriess at his best beyond and around Cairns in the Queensland Far North with amazing early photographs. Much about the pioneers, the land and the gold.

Idriess in the Far North a First Edition super copy.

$60.00

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Under the Southern Cross [Or Travels in Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, Samoa and Other Pacific Islands] – Maturin Ballou – 1888

Matrurin Ballou was a respected travel writer of his day, and he put the effort and miles into his work.

Published by Ticknor and Company, Boston in 1888 we think a second printing. Also, published in London at the same time.

Octavo, 405 pages, original decorated binding. Chipped top to spine and frayed at bottom, otherwise a nice original copy, very clean inside.

One where we think the depth of observation carries the book. Much interest in gold discoveries wherever he went and a tendency to see Pacific Islanders as rather savage as was fashionable at the time. So usual references to eating human flesh here and there. Nice chapter on Samoa. Amusingly he was surprised to see women riding astride in Hawaii.

Please to see he went to Australia and Tasmania if you get the joke – suppose it was before federation … but still. And, he rightly thought Tasmania was beautiful and its women likewise.

Ballou well and truly under the Southern Cross

$90.00

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Reminiscences of Thirty Years’ Residence in New South Wales and Victoria – R Therry – First Edition 1863

Few know that this is quite a controversial book. Irish born Roger Therry [1800-1874] had arrived in New South Wales in 1829. For the next thirty odd years he served various Governor’s with distinction and praise. He rose to be a Judge of the Supreme Court and had served at both Sydney and Port Phillip. He retired back to England in 1859 and wrote this long and readable account.

This is a true first edition [a re-run included a small map] very thick octavo, 514 pages after preliminaries. Bound in original heavily embossed full deep red cloth covered boards. Original spine relayed, new end papers by Perry. A little age but really a nice copy of this scarce work.

Re the controversy. Therry had 100 copies made up and sent 300 to New South Wales. Unfortunately, some did not like his references and it soon became a talking point for the wrong reason. The book no doubt contains some factual errors [there are a lot of facts] but it was the pseudo slander that got under the skin of some. Therry re-purchased the remaining Australian stock!

“Judgely” writing may not sound entertaining, but this book is easily read and full of facts and stories that make it more interesting the more you get into it. We may all know about Hargraves and the discovery of gold in 1851, but did you know it was really Strezelecki in 1839 and with Clarke in between. The didn’t announce the earlier discoveries lest it would cause a stampede and riot among the convict class.

Therry writes in a compassionate way – his account of the discovery of a massacre of an aboriginal group suggests many new settlers were horrified and the culprits were brought to justice.

John McCarthur had a hand in the editing which is why his family are treated well and add to the supposed factual errors

Therry looking back over the important goings on over thirty years in Australia.

$180.00

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Narrative of the Wreck of HMS Porpoise – Robert Purdie, Surgeon’s Mate of HMS Investigator [A Matthew Flinders Item]

Octavo, xiv, 134 pages, published by Hordern House in 2014. A very good copy. The best dust jacket ever with a facsimile period map on the reverse from Flinder’s Journal Atlas.

Robert Purdie was a young surgeon who was wrecked on HMS Porpoise on a reef off the Queensland coast (to become known as “Wreck Reef’’). This was the vessel originally taking Matthew Flinders back the England having completed his coastal survey of Australia, confirming the entirety of the land mass. Purdie’s account had been published anonymously in The Naval Chronicle in 1807/07. He had been a junior officer on the Investigator and was among those that stayed on the reef whilst Flinders and others rowed back to Sydney to successfully mount a rescue.

The narrative is lively, informative and readable … here well presented with an excellent introduction and notes by Matthew Fishburn.

Matthew Flinders and Wreck Reef by Surgeon’s Mate Purdie.

$30.00

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Some Early Records of the Macarthurs of Camden – Edited by Sibella Macarthur Onslow – 1914

First edition published by Angus and Robertson, Sydney in 1914. A substantial book, royal octavo, 496 pages with illustrations and foldout facsimile documents. A very good copy in a nice firm binding with coloured frontispiece.

This comprehensive record is based on papers by the authors father James Macarthur. She dedicated the book to her father and mother (Emily) and her uncle Sir William Macarthur.

This is a family that stood up to their adopted motto “Fide et Opera” – “Faith and Work”

$90.00

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An Account of the Discoveries Made in the South Pacific Ocean – Alexander Dalrymple

Back O’ Cairns – Ion Idriess – First Edition 1958

Under the Southern Cross [Or Travels in Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, Samoa and Other Pacific Islands] – Maturin Ballou – 1888

Reminiscences of Thirty Years’ Residence in New South Wales and Victoria – R Therry – First Edition 1863

Narrative of the Wreck of HMS Porpoise – Robert Purdie, Surgeon’s Mate of HMS Investigator [A Matthew Flinders Item]

Some Early Records of the Macarthurs of Camden – Edited by Sibella Macarthur Onslow – 1914

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