Prestige Items

19thC Magic Lantern Slide – John Browning’s Spectroscope.

A quite striking wooden framed magic lantern slide, hand coloured, of a complex spectroscope by leading maker John Browning of London. The model depicted named (and labelled Gassiot’s Spectroscope).

The model was made to order, designed for Physicists. The first design went to John Peter Gassiot a prominent Fellow of the Royal society. Refer John Browning’s book “How to Work with the Spectroscope” 1878, page 57.

Likely, manufactured by the McIntosh Battery & Optical Company Chicago circa 1890. The company was formed in 1879 and in the 1890’s changed its name to the McIntosh Electrical Co to concentrate in radio devices. No makers mark, but this is their style, quality and the subject label consistent with theirs.

The wooden slide is 28cm by 10cm with the circular hand coloured slide 8 cm in diameter. The condition of the colouring and slide generally is excellent.

Rare Scientific Instrument Slide by Leading Maker

$120.00

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Allen & Hanburys Ltd – Abridged Catalogue of Surgical Instruments and Appliances – Aseptic Hospital Furniture and Electro-Medical Apparatus. – c1920

Possibly the most important reference of the period on the subject. Allen & Hanburys were at 48 Wigmore Street, London W1 with a factory at Bethnal Green and other facilities in Hertfordshire and Norway (Cod Liver Oil).

Abridged in their world means large octavo 739 pages. Original red cloth covered boards, titles etc blind stamped on spine, white to front. No date but references show circa 1920. Thousands of illustrations, frontispiece of the principal premises. Pasted onto inside front is a 28 page price list from April, 1925. All in very good condition.

By this time Allen & Hanburys were leading players with businesses in South Africa, China, Australia, India, South America, USA, Canada, Arabia, New Zealand, West Indies and throughout Europe.

Items covered include far too numerous to list even by category, they appear to cover every aspect. We have provided quite a few images to give some idea.

Special Medical instrument Reference from the distinguished Allen & Hanburys.

$290.00

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Characters of Shakespeare’s Plays – Hazlitt – with Manuscript appraisal by Australian Artist Norman Lindsay – from his Library

Published by the Oxford University Press a re-set re-issue of 1955. Small octavo, 276 pages after preliminaries. With an introduction by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch.

William Hazlitt (1778-1830) knew his Shakespeare and first published “Characters” in 1817. Ever since it has been considered a “go to” reference on the Bards work.

And, so thought Norma Lindsay who drew on Shakespeare’s characters in much of his much-loved erotic art.

This little book bought from an auction of some of Lindsay’s extensive library has a delightful “opinion” penned in his hand, with corrections, on the front end paper.

“No other commentary on Shakespeare can equal these essays – Hazlit(t)’s perfect control of style enhances the splendour of Shakespearean poetry. All other appreciations of it read thinly after his.

In any case, the inexhaustible fecundity of the plays inspires a fresh interpretation of them with each generation of readers and actors.”

Shakespeare’s Characters and some wise words penned in the hand of the great Norman Lindsay.

$180.00

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The Narrative of the Honourable John Byron 1768 – The Wreck of The Wager

The Narrative of the Honourable John Byron (Commodore in a Late Expedition Round the World) Containing and Account of the Great Distresses Suffered by Himself and his Companions on the Coast of Patagonia, from the Year 1740, till their Arrival in England, 1746, With a description of St Jago de Chili, and the Manners and Customs of the Inhabitants. Also a Relation of the Loss of the Wager Man of War, One of Admiral Anson’s Squadron.

Second edition published the same year as the first, 1768 in London by Baker, Leigh and Davies. Complete with frontispiece engraving of the wreck of the Wager, 257 pages in very good condition. Quarter leather over marbled paper covered boards, originally half with corner points removed. A fresh title label at some time.

Australian historian Geoffrey Ingleton’s copy with his bookplate. And, earlier the unusual bookplate of the famous Cholmondeley Library with the Case/Shelf and number reference.

Byron was midshipman aboard the Wager, one of Anson’s squadron in his voyage of circumnavigation. The ship was wrecked off the Chilean coast and the survivors who remained with Captain David Cheap were made prisoners by the Indians and turned over to the Spanish authorities. The wreck of the Wager led to major changes in British nautical law relating to shipwreck. Byron’s narrative is one of the most thrilling accounts in the language, and supplied his illustrious descendant [Lord Byron, the poet] with many particulars for the shipwreck in Don Juan.

Fundamental Anson Voyage Account – Distinguished Library Provenance

$890.00

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My Cutey’s Due at Two- To-Two To-Day

Original music score of a “novelty fox-trot” published in 1926 by Bibo, Bloedon & Lang, New York. Written by Leo Robin and Albert Von Tilzer and recorded by Harold Oxley.

With special arrangement for Ukulele by May Singhi Breen … known as “The Ukulele Lady”.

Four pages of score for piano (and Ukulele) … the words are hilarious … our singer is certainly missing his Cutey!

My Cutey’s due at Two-to-Two –
She’s coming thru on a big choo choo
She’s been away for months
But I have-n’t cheated once
Stay’d home nights didn’t dance
Was-n’t taking any chance
Did-n’t flirt and tho’it hurt
I just couldn’t do my Cutey dirt.

Very thoughtful …. do-n’t forget the Bon Bons

My Cutey’s Due – sing in the key of Bertie Wooster!

$25.00

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Linus Pauling (Two Times Nobel Prize Winner) – Signed corrected typed letter to colleague Professor D.P. Craig

One of the top 100 scientists that have ever lived. Along with Marie Currie he received the Nobel Prize twice in different fields, Chemistry and Peace the only person to have received two alone in their own right.

Valence theory and the application of quantum mechanics to molecular theory was his forte. Here we have him corresponding with Australian Professor David Craig at University College, London. Craig spent much time there and then later at the Research School of Chemistry, ANU, Canberra.

Pauling writes on California Institute of Technology, Pasadena letterhead …. 4th August 1961

“I thank you for your letter about molecular orbitals and benzene. I have no doubt that a reasonably good job can be done in discussing aromatic molecules by use of the molecular orbital method, in such a way that students find the discussion acceptable. I am not sure that I feel that it is obviously justified to say that the electrons occupying an orbital with a single node are about as stable as in the two-center orbitals of a Kekule structure – I know that this is right, but how the student would feel is another matter.

Nevertheless, I have not reached the conclusion that I should attempt much of a molecular-orbital discussion in my book, as well as the discussion of simple resonance theory.”

An enlightening view … Kekule having established his principles in the mid-19thC. It was not until molecular orbital theory that the properties of aromatic molecules could be more readily understood. Pauling used X-ray technology to support his findings. In a number of areas, he was “in competition” with Australian born Sir Lawrence Bragg, who was running the Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge. Pauling discovered the protein alpha helix after many years of painstaking work … without this the work on DNA would have come much later. Having won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his pioneering work he became a strong anti-bomb supporter and through his efforts to suppress cold war activity was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Later he became a champion for the use of vitamin C as a near cure all.

Linus Pauling every Scientists Hero – A letter to a Colleague with relevant Scientific Content

$490.00

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19thC Magic Lantern Slide – John Browning’s Spectroscope.

Allen & Hanburys Ltd – Abridged Catalogue of Surgical Instruments and Appliances – Aseptic Hospital Furniture and Electro-Medical Apparatus. – c1920

Characters of Shakespeare’s Plays – Hazlitt – with Manuscript appraisal by Australian Artist Norman Lindsay – from his Library

The Narrative of the Honourable John Byron 1768 – The Wreck of The Wager

My Cutey’s Due at Two- To-Two To-Day

Linus Pauling (Two Times Nobel Prize Winner) – Signed corrected typed letter to colleague Professor D.P. Craig

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