Travel & Voyages

Vintage Railways [Tasmania and Mainland Australia] – Michael Sharland

Michael Sharland the guru when it comes to vintage railways.

This is a 1983 soft cover, squarish format, printed at the Mercury. 68 pages, full of great images from early photographs. Front cover, Tasmanian R Class steaming up the bank at Brighton. Very good condition.

Not all Tassie though – about a third with locos from the mainland, and some interesting ones, taking up the rest.

Sharland has steam for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

$30.00

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The Antarctic – Henry King – First Edition 1969

Henry King was the Librarian of the Scott Polar Research Institute between 1955 and 1983, incredible stretch.

So, he definitely had time and the access to material nigh unlimited to produce this all-embracing Antarctic book. There are other attempts, but we think this one the best to that period given the aforementioned advantage the writer had.

Published by Blanford Press, London in 1969. Octavo, 276 pages, a multitude of images from period photographs, many in colour, end paper maps. Top edge stained blue as required by the first. A very good copy.

Henry King form his Library – but what a library.

$35.00

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Queensland – Pugh’s Almanac for the Year 1886

The essential publication of the day … Pugh’s Almanac, Law Calendar, Coast Guide and Gazetteer and “Men of the Time” for 1886

536 pages followed by 94 pages of business advertisements to the rear and more at the front and the odd one inserted.

Carries the bookplate of Alan McKiness who was perhaps the greatest ever collector of all things Queensland on paper. Also, overlapped by Alan’s bookplate that of his father D.H. McInnes – an engraving of the Endeavour. Now protected in a sturdy red cloth covered solander case with label to spine. The almanac is in very good condition with a black rebind at an early date, Brisbane bookbinders ticket partly obscured by Alan’s bookplate..

Always difficult to give justice to these incredible almanacs which contain so much information that to read from cover to cover would occupy the year. Essential information matted with trivia which we find illuminating. 8th June steamer “Victoria” chartered to take islanders home, left for Townsville with Government party under leadership of Lieut. Chester” – marks the end of blackbirding. On the 14th June Victoria sets off with 405 illegally obtained islanders for the south Sea islands etc. 11th February – English cricketers left on the steamer Wentworth for Sydney- Reported that $10,000 has been offered by the Fenians for the Prince of Wales dead or alive. 3rd March England warn Russia on Afghanistan. 11th November – Massacre of Geographical Society Expedition on the Fly River. 23rd December – the New Guinea expedition reported to be massacred arrived at Cooktown in the “Benito” all well!

Large folding graphical chart of rainfall and wet days (67cm by 40cm).

Large folding map of Queensland (66cm by 56cm) showing the rainfall in 1884

Section on Statistics; Sailing Directions, colour fold out of signals in force, comprehensive and a good chapter on “Progress in the Colony”.

As you can imagine near 100 pages of period advertisements make good reading for those that are interested in the history of business in Queensland. Tow we would like to point out – John Lennon announcing the opening of his new Hotel in Queens Street … still going today and a full page add by John Petrie, obviously going quite well .. Queensland history buffs would understand the significance.

A good Almanac with map etc., nicely cased – 1886

$180.00

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The Happy Island – Bengt Danielsson – First UK Edition 1952

A scarce book, the first UK edition published by George Allen & Unwin, London 1952 .. we also have the first US Edition. Octavo, 256 pages nicely illustrated with the authors photographs. Good to better condition with a chip lower dust jacket.

The author was part of the Kon-Tiki expedition. They were shipwrecked at Raroia which is a coral atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago, to the east of Tahiti.

Danielsson and his wife returned there and spent a year and a half enjoying the relaxed lifestyle. A very funny account but there is tragedy in the death of a key character and the inevitable cyclone.

Perspective .. in 2012 the population of Raroia was 233, there is nowhere to stay so visitors are always invited to stay in the homes of maybe the friendliest people on earth!

Unusual Pacific account

$30.00

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Fiji and The Fijians (1835-1856) – G.C. Henderson

A first edition on Henderson’s book on Fiji and the Fijians a volume published to elucidate the Journal of Rev Thomas Williams who has spent the period !840-1853 as a Missionary in Fiji. Williams being regraded as the principal authority on the state if society among Fijians when European first came upon them.

Published by Angus and Robertson, Sydney in 1931.

Large octavo, 33 pages nicely illustrated throughout with images from early engravings, early photographs and charts. Very good condition and with the author’s “Compliments”’ stamp on the end paper ad his manuscript note “To dear old Jeff – from the Author”

A very useful Preface sets the scene and purpose for the book. The first chapter proper refers to the “Mitchellian Manuscripts” the Williams Journal and paper held at the Mitchell … and other primary materials held elsewhere including in the UK. Very good chapters on the Discovery of Fiji … the Duff, James cook and often overlooked Bellingshausen among them. The Bellingshausen journals had yet to be translated to English at the date of this book. The work then moves on to a description of the archipelago, centres of interest and the people. Mission work, medical practices and a chapter on Ono-I-Lau first visited by Calvert. Language and literature etc etc.

Well written account regarding an important historical period. A very good copy.

$120.00

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Antarctic Journey – Three Artists in Antarctica

Published by the Australian Government in 1988.

Card covered square format, 50 pages, numerous illustrations of the artwork of the chosen three – John Caldwell, Bea Maddock and Jan Senbergs.

Interesting accompanying narrative regarding Antarctic art in general and its history and then in-depth personal narratives of the very different but equally talented artists.

Art in the Antarctic … almost a tongue twister

SO SORRY SOLD

$30.00

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Vintage Railways [Tasmania and Mainland Australia] – Michael Sharland

The Antarctic – Henry King – First Edition 1969

Queensland – Pugh’s Almanac for the Year 1886

The Happy Island – Bengt Danielsson – First UK Edition 1952

Fiji and The Fijians (1835-1856) – G.C. Henderson

Antarctic Journey – Three Artists in Antarctica

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