Biography/ autobiography

The James of George Town – Signed Copy – Graeme Broxham

Subtitled .. A colonial Maritime, Mercantile and family Correspondence 1813-1857.

Soft cover published by the Navarine Press as one of the historic Roebuck Society publications – number 56. Limited to 500 copies and this one signed by the Editor compiler.

All up 64 pages, with numerous relevant illustrations, map at rear. A total of 72 correspondences follow a lengthy historical introduction.

Captain Joseph James first operated out of Sydney from 1811. He then became the first merchant of George Town, Van Diemens Land in the year 1820. He died penniless in 1844 but his son Captain William James rebuilt the family fortunes.

Early Tasmanian History from the letters of the seafaring James’s of George Town.

$25.00

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My Memoirs Laced with East Coast Tales of Van Diemens Land [Tasmania] – Edward Shaw.

A super memoir. Self published in the year 2000 by the author. Larger format softcover 137 pages. A very good near fine copy. Frontispiece facsimile map of 1825 by Souter. Images from original photographs and sketches throughout.

A bit of an old fashioned rendition about folks and what they got up to and who was related to who and did what. Having said that you cannot but get a warm feeling for Edward Shaw by the time you finish and the East Coast of Tasmania feels more like home as it should be.

East Coast of Tasmania and who was who and a beautiful place

$25.00

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Matthew Flinders Private Journal (1803-1814)

Matthew Flinders Private Journal from 17 December 1803 at Isle of France to 10 July 1814 at London

Published by the Friends of the State Library of South Australia, a first edition 2005.

Edited and with an Introduction by Anthony J. Brown and Gillian Dooley. Foreword by Witgar Hitchcock. Preface by Paul Brunton.

Large octavo, xxxiv, 566 pages, coloured frontispiece & 12 colour plates, 26 black and white illustrations, folding map (London, showing Flinders’ residences etc) & another in rear pocket (Flinders’ General Chart of Australia, or Terra Australia). Bound in blue cloth covered boards, gilt stamped on spine, blind decorations on boards. One of 850 copies. A substantial book in very good if not fine condition.

After useful introductions we start with the last few days on the Cumberland and Flinders’ plans and expectation on arrival at Mauritius. Unfortunately, the Captain-General Decaen, was suspicious as to the motives of Flinders having arrived in such a “small” ship and carrying papers for the “Investigator”. Consequently, his incarceration began the next morning when he was taken to the Café Marengo which first appeared to be a jail but turned out to be a tavern. Three and a half months later he was transferred to the Maison Despaux and then finally on 25th August 1805 to Plaines Wilhems where he would stay until 19th March 1910 before being released. His journal continues through his journey back to England and the final period during which he was preparing and revising his monumental work for publication.

Eight appendices are of further interest … Flinders’ Passport from the French Government; A record of his Interrogation; the Captain-General’s Report; Flinders’ letter regarding Thomy Pitot; Avis do Conseil d’Etat; Flinders’ Parole; Question relative to the Isle de France by Vice Admiral Bertie and Flinders’ Last illness and the final five months to July 1814 by Stephen Milazzo.

Flinders’ own words and what a story they make

$160.00

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Green Mountains and Cullenbenbong – Bernard O’Reilly – Signed Copy

A fine copy of the 1950’scombination of Bernard O’Reilly’s two works on the rain forest Lamington Range on the border of Queensland and N.S.W.

Signed nicely by the author. Published by Smith and Paterson, Brisbane, no date but 1950’s. Octavo, 322 pages plus index. Nicely illustrated from period photographs most by the family.

Famous for the fining of the Stimpson aircraft (If not aware you should understand this story). His parents retreated to the cool climate of the elevated Lamington Range (now National Park). This is Bernard’s story of his family, their pioneering endeavours and most of all the tranquillity and mesmerising beauty of the forest that cover the region.

If you have never been there you must go to the family lodge … best in Australia.

Signed fine Bernard O’Reilly -more than the Stimpson.

$85.00

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Green Hills of Africa – Ernest Hemingway

Hemingway’s Green Hills was first published in 1936. This is a 1962 edition of the desirable Jonathan Cape format.

Octavo, 284 pages with the super decorative illustrations by Edward Shenton. Green cloth covered boards with “game’ gilt design to front. Top edge stained green as required of this edition. A few dust jacket light chips and age otherwise a very copy of a hard to find item.

A piece of non-fiction regarding Hemingway’s safari to Africa in December 1933 with his wife Pauline. First criticised by reviewers and then lauded as the best African safari book ever written … Hemingway never forgave them as he thought they had killed the book.

Set in Tanzania and up the Great Rift Valley. Hemingway describes the lure of the hunt, the landscape and beauty of the wilderness like never before. Intermingled with conversations and views on writers and his writing. It is in this book that he set Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain as the greatest piece of American literature … but not without qualification.

Carries a special appreciation for “J P” i.e. Jackson Philip who was Philip Hope Percival who was his guide. Percival was the inspiration behind the character Robert Wilson in his later short story “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber”

Green Hills of Africa – true Hemingway

$70.00

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Martin Cash – Life After Bushranging – Maree Ring

A unusual item, an extended pamphlet really all about Tasmania’s favourite bushranger Martin Cash. Not so much his goings on in his early days of bushranging (although there is a good snippet of that) but more about his time in New Zealand and then later on return to Hobart.

Written from a sympathetic viewpoint, as often the case with Cash. We are not sure quite why that is the case. For sure he is supposed to have had a soft spot for women and we guess in return women had and still have a soft spot for him.

However, and it’s a big however … when in NZ he seemed to spend most of his time forming and running brothels (yes plural). In fact in the end he was given the big tip off to leave the country … forcing his return to Tasmania. His illicit activities paid him well and he was able to purchase a smallholding up the back of New Town … he spent most of his leisure time in the pubs of Salamanca … well don’t we all.

Self published Hobart in 1993. Softcover, stitched, 41 pages with some useful and relevant illustrations. We like the unpretentious writing of the researcher author. A fine copy.

Martin Cash – the final story – and an interesting one too.

Postage will be reduced on this item on final billing.

$20.00

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The James of George Town – Signed Copy – Graeme Broxham

My Memoirs Laced with East Coast Tales of Van Diemens Land [Tasmania] – Edward Shaw.

Matthew Flinders Private Journal (1803-1814)

Green Mountains and Cullenbenbong – Bernard O’Reilly – Signed Copy

Green Hills of Africa – Ernest Hemingway

Martin Cash – Life After Bushranging – Maree Ring

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