Curiosities

Queensland Illustrated – 70 Exquisite Views – c1925

Published by A. A. White Brisbane and in our opinion the best of the nostalgic promotional books of the early 20thC. We say that as the images are often vanilla, same size pseudo postcard images.

Here we have a mixture of forma and subjects, some with aboriginal people albeit a bit posed .. the railways shots are varied including a super image of the logging train going through the Barron Gorge. Gympie Gold Mine is still active as is Mount Morgan and the bush images prove a good counterbalance to the Brisbane street scenes which are compared with nowadays rather bereft of people. The trams and very limited motor car activity … the odd horse help date this undated publication.

Landscape (30cm x 24cm) 32 pages, original decorative cover. In really good condition given its age – best we have seen.

Voyager’s favourite early Queensland views

$80.00

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The True-born English-man: A Satyr – Daniel Defoe – 1716

A rare item by Daniel Defoe. The scarce “enlarged” edition printed and sold by James Roberts in 1716.

Small pocket sized 12mo, 12, 26 pages, bound in contemporary calf backed boards, some age and wear but solid and rare in this original state.

First edition thus. After the accession of Hanover Defoe added a new passage of 49 lines satirizing the English temper. It was hastily published and contains a number of hasty error which ironically confirm its pedigree

A True-born English-man, satirical poem of length about xenophobia … a few could learn from it today. Dutch born William of Orange has become King of England, and there was much tittle tattle about his lack of Englishness. Defoe, forever a wit, wrote this is support of old William of O, ridiculing the notion of English racial purity. Well the evidence is there.

Defoe … much quoted from his opening rant

“that het’rogeneous thing, an Englishman:
In eager rapes, and furious lust begot
Betwixt a painted Britain and a Scot
Whose gend’ring off-spring quickly learn’d to bow,
And yoke their heifers to the Roman plough:
From whence a mongrel half-bred race there came,
With neither name, nor nation, speech nor fame.
In whose hot veins new mixtures quickly ran,
Infused betwixt a Saxon and a Dane
While their rank daughters, to their parents just,
Receiv’d all nations with promiscuous lust.
This nauseous brood directly did contain
The well-extracted blood of Englishmen.”

Daniel Defoe and his True-born a delicious antiquarian rarity

$380.00

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Fossil Tree Fern “Osmundacaulis pruchnikki” – Lune River Tasmania – Rare and unusual Early Jurassic Forest circa 182 Million years old.

A significant piece in terms of size and quality of petrified tree fern “Osmundacaulis pruchnikki” from the Lune River area deep in the southern reaches of Tasmania.

The dating of this location to the middle of the early Jurassic Period (182 Ma) was by isotopic measurements on zircons found in the volcanic sandstone hosting the fossils (Bromfield et al 2007). Also refer the excellent recently updated guide by P. Manchester.

A substantial example weighing 362gm length circa 11cm – by 5cm by 5cm. The extremity is cleaved in the centre of the oval plant core and the core can be seen clearly on top and running down the side.

This region is the area of the world where these plants developed. Twelve tree paratypes (arborescent) ferns and one bracken-like (rhizomatous) fern have been studied in the region. All of the tree ferns belong to the genus Osmundacaulis. This paratype exhbits numerous clear and tight trachioles

The species evolved in this region, the Australian portion of Pangea, which was on the cusp of breaking up circa 200 million years ago. Gradually osmundacaaulis have spread elsewhere, but are limited in the Northern Hemisphere; they appear in North West USA .. whilst examples were only discovered in Eurasia in the year 2000 in northern China.

Significant fossil tree fern from Jurassic Tasmania.

$290.00

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Norman Lindsay – Redheap – ABC Script to the 1972 Production – part of a theme “Norman Lindsay Theatre” broadcast in that year.

A distinguished cast was assembled including Kate Fitzpatrick as Hetty, Peter Flett as Robert Piper, John Waters, June Salter etc many who went on to have long television careers and also Pamela Stephenson (now Lady Pamela) as the raunchy Millie Kneebone.

Typescript foolscap – 138 pages, normal wear through use but in perfectly acceptable condition for its type. The odd note and doodle on the back of some pages …. Waiting in television can be a drain.

Adapted from Norman Lindsay’s famous novel Redheap. Famous for being banned in Australia – published in 1930 by Faber in London it was not allowed in Australia until 1958! A bit naughty seemingly but more so because Readheap is really the town of Creswick and the characters were well real people displaying their real lives and inhibitions. Seemingly, Norman used his bothers diaries for research – the family could well have been involved in the ban.

The “rehearsal script” here for sale makes for a good read with all the extra colour that is added from the flat novel. Front page described as EP 2 but content flips back and forward with scenes from episodes 1,2 and 3 maybe predominantly 2 – not sure. Makes for a lively reading with accidental flash back and forward – if you understand that process.

A most interesting and scarce piece of Lindsay ephemera that you are likely to come across.

Readheap – not for the town of Creswick – Lindsay at his most provocative.

$390.00

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Alvin Lustig Dust Jacket design for New Directions – 50 Postcard style Illustrations.

Voyager hero and favourite graphic designer Alvin Lustig got into bed with super New York publisher of high end literature, New Directions, to design unique dust jacket art for the likes of Tennessee William, Dylan Thomas, Ezra Pound etc.

This boxed set of fifty postcards is a retrospective of that work comprising some of the more unusual designs. Unfortunately the books are getting out of reach for all but the devoted cashed up collector. So why not get this selection as an introduction or reminder of this man’s talent.

Would make a super gift – and get over the – we don’t use postcards any more – they are a memento of normal life as it once was before the whole world spent their whole waking moments tapping away with two fingers on a iphone … uuhhggh.

Lustig beautifully presented and maybe a challenge for some.

$35.00

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Errol Flynn – The Tasmanian Story – Don Norman

Scarce, first and only edition of this ditty on Errol Flynn, the most dangerous man ever in tights. Born a stones throw from Voyager’s abode he is a Sandy Bay / Battery Point legend.

This work was promoted by Messrs Hurst and Metcalf who at the time of publication in 1981 were the owners of the Errol Flynn Theatre of Tasmanian History which was poised within the Masterpiece Fine Art Gallery in Sandy Bay.

Card covered, 57 pages plus list of Errol Flynn’s Motion Pictures – there were lots; and a dapper image of “In like” on the rear cover. Lots of images throughout – Flynn looked rather mischievous even at two year old. A number of his schools – we think he was asked to leave a couple.

Errol Flynn the best account of his Tasmanian upbringing

$40.00

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Queensland Illustrated – 70 Exquisite Views – c1925

The True-born English-man: A Satyr – Daniel Defoe – 1716

Fossil Tree Fern “Osmundacaulis pruchnikki” – Lune River Tasmania – Rare and unusual Early Jurassic Forest circa 182 Million years old.

Norman Lindsay – Redheap – ABC Script to the 1972 Production – part of a theme “Norman Lindsay Theatre” broadcast in that year.

Alvin Lustig Dust Jacket design for New Directions – 50 Postcard style Illustrations.

Errol Flynn – The Tasmanian Story – Don Norman

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