Travel & Voyages

Mawson’s Antarctic Diaries – Edited by Fred and Eleanor Jacka

The 2008, soft cover version, published by Allen & Unwin, Sydney. Small quarto, 414 pages and 60 pages of plates. Very good condition. A substantial and heavy book not really suitable for overseas postage.

Sir Douglas Mawson made four trips to the Antarctic, the first in 1907-09 with Shackleton’s expedition, then in 1911-14 as leader of the Australian Antarctic Expedition and then twice between 1929 and 1931 as leader of the combined expeditions.

This book brings together for the first time his writings over all four expeditions.

It also includes some Frank Hurley photographic images not produced elsewhere.

Mawson’s Words perfectly presented

$40.00

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The Voyage of the Duff – A Missionary Voyage to the Southern Pacific Ocean 1796-1798 – Captain James Wilson

I our opinion one of the best produced facsimiles of one of the great late 18thC voyages to the Pacific. The standard likely because of the publisher Frederick Praeger, New York etc., printed in Austria with that quality.

The fact that the large folding maps and folding plates have all been reproduced is a production delight most others avoid .. maybe you get one in that form .. here we have them all.

Small quarto, 420 pages, illustrated as described above the original a masterpiece of cartography and engraving. Very good condition.

Super informative introduction by Irmgard Moschner of the Vienna Museum.

If you look elsewhere on our site we have the original issue of this volume for sale .. but not at this price.

Full title … A Missionary Voyage to the Southern Pacific Ocean Performed in the Years 1796, 1797, 1798, in the Ship Duff, Commanded by Captain James Wilson. Compiled from Journals of the Officers and the Missionaries; and Illustrated with Maps, Charts and Views Drawn by Mr William Wilson, and engraved by the most eminent Artists. With a Preliminary Discourse on the Geography and History of the South Sea Islands; and an Appendix, including details never before published, of the Natural and Civil State of Otaheite.

An early voyage to the Pacific, undertaken for the purpose of establishing a mission in Tahiti, and a settlement of 25 persons was formed. Though the King befriended them, they met with continual difficulties because of civil wars and were finally forced to flee to Australia, though returning some time later in 1815. The work contains many valuable details regarding Tahiti, the Fiji Islands, Tonga, the Marquesas, etc. The discovery of a new group of islands, named the Duff Group among the Santa Cruz Islands. The narrative is full and readable with considerable valuable observation – not at all in the often dry “missionary” style. Stands, in our view, as a key read in the early Pacific Voyages genre.

The folding “Chart of the Duff’s Track in the Pacific Ocean” was the first map to use the name Australia than New Holland. Other important maps comprise – Feejee Islands; Marquesas Islands; Duff’s Group; Gambier Islands; Island of Otaheite and Island of Tongataboo.

Views comprise … Harbour of Rio Janeiro; Missionary Settlement at Matavai; View of Tallo Harbour; Great Morai of Oberca; Morai and Ark of the Eatooa at Attahooroo and Fiatookas of Futtasaihe.

The 18thC Voyage of The Duff up there with the best

$70.00

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Leichhardt’s Expeditioners – Dan Sprod

A limited edition of 750 this book by Dan Sprod provides enlightening detail from the journals kept by William Philips and John Murphy who participated in Leichhardt’s successful expedition from Moreton Bay up through Northern Queensland and the North Coast to Port Essington.

Well written as with all of Dan Sprod’s work dealing with the personalities and contributions of each party as well as progress of the expedition.

Nicely illustrated and with a map in rear pocket. Never before published content makes this a must for those interested in Australian inland exploration.

Lechhardt’s party get properly on the record

$50.00

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Trial By Ice – The Antarctic Journals of John King Davis

The collectable Erskine Press 1997 edition in fine condition.

The greatest Ship’s Captain of the Heroic Antarctic era with seven voyages from 1907 to 1930. Unrivalled experience in Ice Navigation. Stern discipline earned him the nickname “Gloomy Davis”.

This book, taken from his journals provides an interesting contrast to those of Mawson in particular.

Maybe Gloomy but Very Good

$75.00

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Sent Forth a Dove [Discovery of the Duyfken] – James Henderson

In 1606 the Dutch India Company ship the Duyfken came upon the Cape York Peninsula. The author reconstructs the fascinating adventure of this little ship and tells of the building of the replica.

The Duyfken appeared at the Hobart Wooden Boat Festival in 2023.We hope it returns in 2025. Voyager photograph of the vessel in the River Derwent shown here.

A softcover, large octavo, 218 pages, heavily and nicely illustrated. Published by the University of Western Australia in 1999. A super copy.

The Duyfken started it all as a Dove would

$30.00

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African Silences – Peter Matthiessen

A super narrative that combines a West African wildlife trip of 1978 {Gambia, Ivory Coast etc} with a Forest Elephant Survey in the broader Congo Basin {Gabon, Congo, Zaire, Kenya} in 1980.

Published by Random House, New York in 1991. Octavo, 225 pages, end paper maps of the travels. Very good condition, good dust jacket over an elaborate binding with quarter green cloth and parchment like paper with delightful embossed pygmy elephant motif.

The author is a great writer {author of the Snow Leopard etc} but as usual he forgot to take his camera. This is a disappointment considering his subject matter and the search for the elusive pygmy elephant.

The second adventure dominates the book and they both contain good detail of the goings on surrounding the trip – the scariest light aircraft experiences imaginable. The Forest Elephant survey was truly important because at that time the poachers had moved into the jungle and were taking large numbers of elephant down for the ivory – the rate was predicted to be fatal to the elephant without a proper scientific census on number – still not sure.

Matthiessen in Africa searching for the pygmy elephants – good content -

$30.00

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Mawson’s Antarctic Diaries – Edited by Fred and Eleanor Jacka

The Voyage of the Duff – A Missionary Voyage to the Southern Pacific Ocean 1796-1798 – Captain James Wilson

Leichhardt’s Expeditioners – Dan Sprod

Trial By Ice – The Antarctic Journals of John King Davis

Sent Forth a Dove [Discovery of the Duyfken] – James Henderson

African Silences – Peter Matthiessen

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