Prestige Items

First Edition – Northmost Australia – Robert Logan Jack – 2 Volumes 1921

… Three Centuries of Exploration, Discovery, and adventure in and around the Cape York Peninsula, Queensland.

A first edition set published by Simpkins Marshall, London 1921. Two volumes complete with all 17 separate folding maps.

Robert Logan Jack was the senior Government Geologist for Queensland for 20 years. He replaced Richard Daintree who was the first to hold that position. The best work of its type by far and with a number of unique aspects. Completed in Logan Jack’s final year as he passed away November 1921.

Both volumes in very good condition. Any foxing internally is relatively limited to the title of one volume and near the ends, despite the spongy, period paper. The loose maps are all there and in very good condition.

Volume 1 commences with early exploration – Maghelen, Quiros and Torres and the Duyfken at Cape York followed by the Pera and Aernemdealt. Tasman arrives in 1644 and then pre-Cook the voyages of the Buijs and Rijder in 1756 with Van Asschens and Gonzal. And then we have the Endeavour and Cook’s discovery from the South and East and soon after in 1789 Bligh in the Bounty launch. Flinders with the Investigator and the after “Wreck Reef” the Cumberland and captivity. Philip Parker King in the Mermaid fills the gaps in 1819 and then in the Bathurst a year later. The wreck of the Charles Eaton in 1834. Wickham and Stokes in 1839 to the Normanton and Albert Rivers and Burketown. Blackwood and Yule and the “Fly” and their mark on the Straits.

Then Logan Jack takes us to the interior and much on the great Leichhardt and Kennedy and that other fateful expedition. Back to the coast and Owen Stanley and the Rattlesnake. And then Burke and Wills up the centre and the searching parties … Landsbourough, Walker and McKinley. Closing with good content on the Jardine Brothers up the Cape, the special efforts of first geologist Daintree and then Captain John Moresby (junior) into the Torres Straits.

Whilst volume I contains some hard to find narrative such as the Jardines and Daintree Volume II is a masterclass. After opening comments on Aboriginal and Polynesian labour we commence our explorations with the elusive William Hann and the Palmer River followed by Mulligan and 150 pages of Logan Jack’s own extensive explorations. Ending with some explorations gems with Donald Laing, Embley, William Baird, John Dickie, William Lakeland and William Bowden.

We have gone on a bit but fell justified in attempting to describe the effort put into this book and the scarcity of the accounts. The whole wonderfully illustrated by images of the explorers often from family sources and at the rear separate indexes by persons, localities and subjects.

The Further North you go the better it gets in these Volumes – First Edition – Nice Set

$480.00

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Supreme Court of Queensland 1859-1960: History, Jurisdiction, Procedure. – Justice Bruce H.M. McPherson

A first edition of the book on the Queensland Supreme Court up to 1960. Published by Butterworths, Sydney in 1989.

Royal octavo, 440 pages after a lengthy forward by the Rt Hon Sir Harry Gibbs, former Chief Justice of Australia.

With colour portraits and black and white text illustrations. A very good copy.

The author, Bruce Harvey McPherson (1936-2013) was South African born who graduated from Trinity Hall Cambridge in 1959. Shortly after he moved to Brisbane. He was admitted to the Queensland Bar on 1965 and made QC in 1975. He was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1982 and then the Court of Appeal in 1991 continuing in that role until his retirement in 2006.

Queensland Supreme Court by McPherson.

$90.00

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A Bibliography of the Writings of Jonathan Swift – Herman Teerink.

A second revised and corrected edition of Dr Teerink’s fundamental reference on Swift.

Published by the University od Pennsylvania Press in 1963. Published in Britain by the Oxford University. First published in 1937, Teerink had continued to compile new discoveries and corrections since that date. He died in 1961 so it was down to Editor Arthur Scouten to produce this update from Teerink’s notes.

Large, thick octavo, 453 pages with frontispiece of Captain Lemuel Gulliver. A very good copy.

The preface by Thomas Yoseloff, Director of the Press reflects on the decision to publish the revision and the difficultly in understanding Terrink’s handwriting. Probably in the history of bibliography there has not been more challenge than in this work on Swift, mainly because of the nature of the publishing trade in the first half of the 18thC and the many potential attributions not under the authors real name or published anonymously.

A monumental work. One might say … what interest a Swift bibliography unless the completely immersed. Well, really it give one a thorough education of the publication of the book in the era … the challenges .. unsold runs of earlier copies and how they can be used in bolstering re-issues of complete works etc. the printing houses and the quality of editorial and review before press.

The structure of book is helpful … Table of Symbols and abbreviations. Table of Location of Teerink Numbers and then the body … Collected Works; Smaller Collections; A Tale of the Tub; Gulliver’s Travels; Separate Works; Doubtful (well some would challenge other and put some of these in the mix); Biography and Criticism, 1709-1895. And a useful index.

Jonathan Swift – more than Gulliver and “the Tub” a lifetime work by Teerink.

$120.00

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Victorian Microscope Slide – Lapis Lazuli – From Persia by Edmund Wheeler – London c1870

Edmund Wheeler was a leading Victorian microscope slide preparer now highly collectable. He was a professional mounter from the 1860’s operating out of 48 Tollington Road, Holloway, London. He sold his business to Watson & Sons in 1884 and died the following year. He gained awards for his work in England and overseas at Philadelphia and Paris. All of Wheeler’s slides must be over 130 years old.

This is a fine and beautiful example of Persian Lapis Lazuli cut micro-thin with strong contrasting colouring and clarity. Backed with Wheeler yellow paper and with his distinctive monogrammed cover paper and typical oval title labels, annotated in Wheeler’s distinctive tidy cursive hand.

Packed like treasure … a light item despite that so postage will be reduced to actual on final billing.

A lovely example and a fine Wheeler slide – c1870

$60.00

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Cribbage Board – Hand Carved Bone – Circa 1810

A classic French Prisoner of War cribbage board hand carved from cows’ bone. Some original colouring in typical style.

The game of cribbage played in England from the 16thC was very popular at the time of the Napoleonic Wars. French prisoners took to carving the familiar boards and no doubt received payment for their trades. This example has lost its pegs as usual (modern players take to matchsticks) and has a wood lower board. A little beauty.

The game of cribbage if not known by the reader should be learnt by all … collect 61 points and “peg out” is the game for this board. Two channels as usual for the standard game of two, with variations for three and four. Get the 15’s, pairs and flushes lined up … and don’t forget “One for His Nob”!

Cribbage a game for the thinking and hard working – once played in every pub in England … try it yourself … with a 200-year-old board to impress.

$320.00

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Le Morte DArthur – The History of King Arthur and His Nobel Knights of the Round Table – Sir Thomas Malory – Illustrated with 36 coloured plates by William Russell Flint. Two Volumes Bound for Bumpas, London.

Originally published in 1485 and first issued by the Medici Society in 1912. This is an early reprint of that issue, in two volumes, 1920 and, finely bound in full leather under the name of the legendary London bookseller Bumpas.

Two Volumes, crown quarto, 439 and 531 pages after preliminaries in each case. Magnificent plates, 36 in total, by Russell Flint.

The binding, full polished morocco, with raise bands and gilt lettering, and gilt fillet with inner wide dentils (a lovely touch), all page edges richly gilt. Silk ribbon markers. Some rubbing, very clean internally.

Russell Flint’s interpretation of Malory’s work is masterful and depicts seminal moments and characters.

Imprinted following the text of Caxton, modernised by Alfred Pollard, instructed by the Medici Society, London. Russell Flint (1880-1969) was influenced by the Pre-Raphaelite movement and, the stylised neoclassical art of the Renaissance. He attended the Edinburgh, Royal Institute of Art. He admired Arthur Rackham … and you can that in these example. His figures are finely modelled with further influences of Burne-Jones

Le Morte DArthur – Illustrated and bound in style … a very good set

$390.00

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First Edition – Northmost Australia – Robert Logan Jack – 2 Volumes 1921

Supreme Court of Queensland 1859-1960: History, Jurisdiction, Procedure. – Justice Bruce H.M. McPherson

A Bibliography of the Writings of Jonathan Swift – Herman Teerink.

Victorian Microscope Slide – Lapis Lazuli – From Persia by Edmund Wheeler – London c1870

Cribbage Board – Hand Carved Bone – Circa 1810

Le Morte DArthur – The History of King Arthur and His Nobel Knights of the Round Table – Sir Thomas Malory – Illustrated with 36 coloured plates by William Russell Flint. Two Volumes Bound for Bumpas, London.

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