War & Escape - 20th Century | Archive | Voyager Rare Books Maps & Prints

Frank Hurley Biography – From Snowdrift to Shellfire – David Millar

First edition published by David Ell Press, Sydney in 1984. Limited to quite a few 2,500 copies. Quarto, 160 pages, full of images from Hurley photographs as one would expect, maps etc. A very good if not fine copy.

A truly readable and enjoyable biography, deserves more praise than it gets.

Captain James Francis (Frank) Hurley (1885-1962) was a brave man. His Antarctic exploits are legendary – the photograph of “meteorologists braving the blizzard” representing the harsh reality of Antarctic life. His achievements during the bleakest days of the “South” expedition. Later, the BANZARE expeditions.

World War I and Flanders and Palestine where the photographic record is a reminder of the sacrifice and successes of war to maintain freedom for others.

Our favourite though goes to his images in Papua New Guinea – an exploit conceived in the coldest darkest days of polar life – how extreme.

Hurley best all round biography with striking images.

$40.00

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Secret Classrooms – An Untold Story of the Cold War – Elliot and Shukman

A fascinating story and one that surprised Voyager who had never heard of the Secret Classrooms – I guess they were “Secret”.

Published by St Ermin’s Press, London in 2002. A first edition hardback, octavo 246, illustrated from relevant period photographs. Slight even toning otherwise an excellent copy in likewise dust jacket.

The British secretly formed the Joint services School of Linguistics [JSSL] which pushed circa 5,000 clever young individuals through intensive training as translators and interpreters to meet the ballooning needs of the Intelligence Services.

The system operated for nine years with “training” camps in Surrey, Cornwall and Scotland. Cambridge University and London University were involved. Students were not only immersed in the language but the Russian way of life, arts, theatre etc.

The diversity of those selected includes a who’s who of to be professors, ambassadors, actors and playwrights – the latter including Dennis Potter and Alan Bennett

Another secret curiosity of the Cold War and fear of Russia.

$35.00

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Seven Years in Tibet – Heinrich Harrer

This edition published by the Reprint Society, part of Rupert Hart-Davis in 1955. A super copy.

Translated by Richard Graves and with an introduction by Peter Fleming, the travel writer who liked extra adventure and elder brother of the James Bond inventor and spy master himself Ian Fleming.

Harrer in 1943 made a third and successful attempt to escape from an internment camp in Dehra-Dyn [look it up]. He headed for Tibet on foot. It was winter and he followed a circuitous route across the Changthang plateau and down into Lhasa. And this is just the beginning of the story.

Octavo, 320 pages with some good illustrations and a sketch map of the route which helps you along…. some of the photographic illustrations are very special.

Harrer deserved his freedom – truly riveting story

$35.00

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A Pair of Jacks [Two Tasmanian “Diggers” exploits in WWI] – J.C. Sheppard – Signed by Author.

A novelised account of the authors father, Jack Sheppard [born at Ranelagh in the Huon Valley] and Jack Doderidge [from Koonya on the Tasman Peninsula].

Self-published by the author in 2015, octavo, 258 pages. Super near fine condition. We can only find print on demand copies. This not so as it’s signed by the Author to Maria.

The author is not Hemingway, but nevertheless we find this book lively, information and entertaining when allowed. After all there are some tricky times including an enforced stay at Stalag 13C.

Novelised based on the true story of two Jacks from Tasmania.

$40.00

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Seven Pillars of Wisdom – a triumph – T.E. Lawrence (Of Arabia) – August 1935

Published by Jonathan Cape London 1935 – Seven Pillars of Wisdom a Triumph – “The Sword also means Clean-ness + Death”. First trade edition fourth impression August after the July first, such was its popularity.

Lawrence memorial leaflet tipped in to front. signs of another ‘inclusion” removed.

The Trade Edition preceded by the incomplete “Oxford” edition of 1922 (8 copies only were printed) and the very rare privately printed “Subscribers Edition” of 1927 (170 copies).

Thick quarto, 672 pages, original brown cloth covered binding with gilt titles to spine and device to front. A little age to covers, nothing to worry about, very clean inside and on page edges which often fox. A very good copy

Frontispiece portrait of a bust of Lawrence, 4 folding maps as called for, 2 facsimiles and a total of 54 illustrations – 46 of which are dramatic portraits of men who appear in the book. Albeit without the rare dust jacket this is the cleanest we have seen of this edition. The boards clean and unmarked and only the slightest bit of foxing limited to the rough cut paper edges.

Lawrence “took pains to bring objects and artists together”. A classic book written by Lawrence after a very successful war leading

the Arabs against the Turks, considered one of the most important books on war especially political and guerrilla warfare.

Churchill called it “One of the greatest books ever written in the English language”

Lawrence of Arabia’s great book. First trade a nice copy- 1935

We simply have to give you some of Chapter 1 … “The everlasting battle stripped from us care of our own lives or of others’. We had ropes about our necks, on or heads prices which showed that the enemy intended hideous tortures for us if we were caught. Each day some of us passed; and the living knew themselves just sentient puppets on God’s stage: indeed, our taskmaster was merciless, merciless, so long as our bruised feet could stagger forward on the road. The weak envied those tired enough to die; for success looked so remote, and failure a near and certain, if sharp, release from toil. We lived always in the stretch or sag of nerves, either on the crest or in the trough of waves of feeling ..

$240.00

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Colonel Henri’s Story [Espionage] – Ian Colvin – First edition 1954

The memoirs of a German secret agent who arrested Odette and Peter Churchill.

Published by William Kiber London, a first edition 1954. Octavo, 200 pages, illustrated from photographs. Some age and wear to jacket but really not a bad copy for its age and we suspect a well read book given the story.

Colonel Henri was the alias of Hugo Bleicher, a spy /detective hell bent on tracking down his opposition. The writer’s bold claim is that this man did more harm then Cicero the super spy at the British Embassy at Ankara.

A scarce account valued by the book market.

Colonel Henri – well really Hugo – and that’s just the start …

$50.00

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War & Escape – 20th Century

Frank Hurley Biography – From Snowdrift to Shellfire – David Millar

Secret Classrooms – An Untold Story of the Cold War – Elliot and Shukman

Seven Years in Tibet – Heinrich Harrer

A Pair of Jacks [Two Tasmanian “Diggers” exploits in WWI] – J.C. Sheppard – Signed by Author.

Seven Pillars of Wisdom – a triumph – T.E. Lawrence (Of Arabia) – August 1935

Colonel Henri’s Story [Espionage] – Ian Colvin – First edition 1954

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