Maritime

Solitaire Spirit – Three times around the world single-handed – Les Powles

Scarce narrowly circulated account.

Les Powles did what Dampier did (3X) but on his own. He had eight hours sailing experience before he set off the first time. The many adventures and hardships along the way – landing in the wrong continent, storms nobody should experience, given up for dead. A sometimes funny account filled with detail … makes you want to get off your ars..!

Paperback, only form published, by Adlard Nautical, London 2012. Typed up by his friends. Images from personal photographs. Very good condition.

Les Powles would be a man to know for sure …

$25.00

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Abel Tasman Medal – 350th Anniversary of the Discovering of the West Coast of Tasmania 1642-1992 [Large Version]

An interesting medallion for historians and the cartographically inspired. Produced for the Trust Bank of Tasmania.

48 mm diameter, 42 gm, intricately engraved on one side with gum leaf design on reverse.

The intricate design has a map of the central west coast of Tasmania noting Zeehan, Queenstown and Strahan; a nice image of Tasman’s vessel and a compass rose. Narrative details of the sighting 24th November 1642 and the landing at Tasman Bay on the East side on the 3rd of December 1642.

Tasman – first European sighting commemorated

$70.00

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King of the Australian Coast [Phillip Parker King] – Marsden Hordern

Marsden Hordern’s magnificent book about “the Work of Phillip Parker King in the Mermaid and Bathurst 1817-1822”.

A quality production by the Miegunyah Press. Published in 1998 a second limited release. Large octavo, 441 pages nicely illustrated throughout some in colour many from images drawn or painted by PPK. A heavy book. Eight folding historic maps in facsimile in pocket at rear.

Very good condition.

We agree with the summary of this work .. Phillip Parker King stands with Cook and Flinders in the history of exploration and charting of the Australian coastline. To a degree until this book he has not been given the credit deserved … this sumptuous book makes amends. It is the go to reference of PPK and his time in and around the Australian coastline. A must have and already highly sought after.

Phillip Parker King in Australia in Full.

$90.00

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The Itinerary of Ludovico di Varthema of Bologna from 1502 to 1508; With a Discourse on Varthema and His Travels in Southern Asia by Sir Richard Carnac Temple – Argonaut Press Limited Numbered Edition 1928 – Edited Penzer

Limited to 975 copies printed on Japon Vellum printed by Walter Lewis at the University Press, Cambridge – this numbered 642.

Well bound quarto, blue cloth covered boards quarter backed in vellum, titles gilt to spine and a lovely gilt embossed image to front taken from the original 16th Century work. Effectively two works – the lengthy “Discourse” after introductions … preface, tables, analysis etc of lxxxv (85 pages) then work itself from the 19th Century Badger/ Winter translation 121 pages, including useful index. Useful maps where appropriate in the discourse. Very good near fine copy.

Verthema travelled at the time of Drake and Magellan which provides perspective and in 1502 he went from Italy to Egypt and Syria and then to Arabia Deserta [Damascus, Medina, Jedda etc] … then in 1503 to Arabia Feliz [Aden, Dhamar, Lahaj etc] and on to Ethiopia in 1504. By later that year he was in Persia [Hormuz, Muscat etc] and India [Gogha, Cambay, Chaul, Calicut etc] Then to Ceylon in 1505 … Bengal and east to the Malacca and the Spice Islands, Java and Borneo. On his way back he assisted the Portuguese in various skirmishes – they being the dominant invasive force at the time. Back home in 1507 via Mozambique.

What makes this book particularly interesting is the history of the translations and the impact of early “reviewers” views. The original work was in Italian, translated to Latin and then English by Richard Eden in 1577. Various others held view and the influential traveller Garcia da Orta Poo Pooed Varthema’s account. Because of this and similar the account was thought to be full of fiction … not so and this book goes a long way to settle the myth and put Verthema back where he belongs as a truly remarkable early traveller.

His account of being chased by elephant in Africa is worth the read alone.

Verthema’s extensive really 16th Century Travels – Once Poo Pooed – but now seen as true.

$190.00

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The Discovery of the South Shetland Islands. The Voyage of the Brig Williams – Journal of Midshipman Poynter [ed R.J. Campbell]

One of our favourite Hakluyt production, published 2000, on the discovery of the South Shetland Islands – which are very south and remote and play such a big part in the whole Antarctic exploration story.

The story of the Brig Williams voyage of 1819-20 referencing the Journal of Midshipman C.W. Poynter and other contemporary documents. As with all Hakluyt the editor does a special job with thorough and intense research and a quality honed narrative.

Quarto, xvi, 232 pages with 31 illustrations and maps. Original blue cloth binding, good dust jacket a very good all round copy. Heavy item.

In 1819 a general cargo vessel in sailing from Montevideo to Valparaiso ventured to the extreme south hoping for more favourable winds, spotting land at around 62 degrees south. On a second voyage they deliberately sough out the coastline taking soundings etc. Following these reports the Brig Williams was prepared to properly survey this new discovery under Master Edward Bransfield.

The journal of Midshipman Poynter was recently found in New Zealand and is the backbone to this book. It is the only first hand account of a voyage during which the Antarctic mainland was sighted.

South Shetlands all to like it’s namesake, cold and windy but more isolated.

$60.00

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First Discovery of Australia and New Guinea George Collingridge – First Edition1906 [Important Work]

Cornerstone book on the early exploration of Australia / New Guinea … a Voyager favourite/

A narrative on the Portuguese and Spanish Discoveries in the Australasian Regions, between the Years 1492-1606, with descriptions of their old charts.

Octavo, 132 pages the appendices with maps striking maps and images throughout. Published by Brooks, Sydney in 1906. Original green cloth covered binding with gilt title at front, bumped and rubbed, previous ownership signatures, very good internally.

Includes the 16th century voyages to the spice islands and the discovery of New Guinea, the Villalobos Expedition and further discoveries in Papua, Jave-le-Grande and the early map of Australia, the maps of Pierre Descelier, and Deslien. The discovery of the Solomons by Mendana and Sarmiento with an early map and of course Queiroz voyage to Espiritu- Santo and Torres and his important discoveries.

Frontispiece map and many others mostly coloured plus black and white illustrations and a useful chronology.

Collingridge on the early discoveries.

$120.00

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Solitaire Spirit – Three times around the world single-handed – Les Powles

Abel Tasman Medal – 350th Anniversary of the Discovering of the West Coast of Tasmania 1642-1992 [Large Version]

King of the Australian Coast [Phillip Parker King] – Marsden Hordern

The Itinerary of Ludovico di Varthema of Bologna from 1502 to 1508; With a Discourse on Varthema and His Travels in Southern Asia by Sir Richard Carnac Temple – Argonaut Press Limited Numbered Edition 1928 – Edited Penzer

The Discovery of the South Shetland Islands. The Voyage of the Brig Williams – Journal of Midshipman Poynter [ed R.J. Campbell]

First Discovery of Australia and New Guinea George Collingridge – First Edition1906 [Important Work]

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