Mining/Geology

The Antiquity of the Aborigines of Australia and Tasmania – The Discovery of Gold – Magnetism etc – Georgina King FRASA – Sydney 1924

A self-published pamphlet by Georgina King of work previously published in the “Sunday Times”. Printed by William Brooks, Sydney and issued in 1924.

Octavo, 23 pages, soft wrappers as issued, three illustrations in the text regarding aboriginals. Some age from use still a very good copy.

The articles are as per the title … The Antiquity of the Aborigines of Australia and Tasmania – Two Stone Ages in Australia; The Discovery of Gold and How it was Found in Payable Quantities; Magnetism – terrestrial and Universal; Diamond and Their Origin.

A most usual body of work. Georgina King (1845-1932) was an amateur geologist and anthropologist. As a woman she was excluded from the “professional” category e.g. she was not allowed to read her own paper at the Royal society of NSW. Her ideas were rather whacky though and make for interesting reading … they did not stop her becoming a Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Society. The daughter of Rev George King she was advised by him and naturalist Bennett not to marry if she wanted to get on in her chosen filed. She corresponded with Robert Logan Jack regarding geology and Huxley on natural sciences. In her eccentricity she blamed other for stealing her ideas, including Edgeworth David on her radical concepts of the earth’s formation and Einstein on the theory of relativity. She believed diamonds were fossilised marine organisms … quoting from the paper contained here …

“Diamonds existed as marine organisms. They are composed of pure carbon, containing only a little hydrogen, and the most minute particles are often found in what were small cavities, perhaps their breathing apparatus; some were like feathers. The cleavages of the diamond were the gills of those marine organisms …”

Her article of the aborigines is a lot more grounded. She was a friend of Daisy bates and provided financial support to Bates for her work among aboriginal people.

Georgina King isolated Australian Scientist with some wild ideas and some interesting ones.

$50.00

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Spore Coal – Tasmania – Microscope Slide

A very good prepared slide of spore coal (Pelionite) labelled as from Tasmania. Late 19th or early 20th century in preparation we do not know by who but we recognise their handwriting!

The most likely location for spore coal is around Barn Bluff and walkers on the Overland track may encounter outcrops. Joseph Will operated a mine in the area in the 1890’s. Seemingly, the coal type is loaded with oil a fact that was hotly debated in the technical press around the 1920’s.

Rare slide preparation subject – Tasmanian

$50.00

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The Amazon Provinces of Peru – H Guillaume F.R.G.S. – First Edition1888

Title continues … As a Field for European Emigration. A Statistical and Geographical Review of The Country and its Resources, including the Gold and Silver Mines together with a mass of useful and Valuable Information.

The author was the Consul-General of Peru in England when he produced this book …. based in Southampton.

A first edition published by Wyman & Sons, Lincoln’s-Inn Fields, London 1888. Octavo, 309 pages after the preliminaries. The original cloth bindings of this book are usually distressed beyond acceptable as was the case with this one. We decided to have it handsomely bound in full green calf by Roger Perry. Five raised bands to spine with separate red leather title and author labels to compartments 2 and 4. Gilt lines and devices and gilt lines to front and rear boards. New marbled endpapers. A top quality binding. Page edges show some age and internally the odd bit of foxing, photographic frontispiece re-laid. Nicely illustrated with the real photograph of the Peruvian President as a frontispiece and another real photograph of “A party of Ladies and Gentlemen giving a Concert at Lima”. A further four maps and 26 plates some folding.

Contents includes a general description including climate and history and a focus on the Amazon Provinces or Montana, the gold found there and the Cahuapana, Chachapoyas and Moyabamba. The products of the area, fruits, drugs. Dyes, palms orchids etc and some interesting comments on the usefulness of cocaine. A substantial part, over 100 pages devoted to more specific detail on Gold and Silver and other minerals. Political analysis and review of trade between Peru and England.

Whilst only covering 23 pages the “Reports of Scientific Travellers” is interesting including those of Olivier Ordinaire (Not ordinary at all), Professor Orton, J.D. Osmers and A. Wertheman who suffered from being abandoned by his guides on multiple occasions.

Rare South American Account now in a Superior Full Leather Binding

$240.00

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Australian Mineral Specimen – Gypsum Selenite with Copper

A very good example of gypsum in selenite form with even crystals of 5mm nicely impregnated with copper salts giving a soft green hue.

Very good example from Pernatty Lagoon, Stuart Shelf South Australia.

Nice crystals with even copper tone

$40.00

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Australian Mineral Specimen – Prehnite – Mullaley

A nice example of the mineral Prehnite – Calcium Aluminium Silicate [Ca2Al(AlSi3O10)(OH)2] in a botryoidal (grape like) formation. With an even green colouring.

From Mullaley NSW

Nice example of the botryoidal form

$40.00

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William Bragg – Nobel Laureate – Transactions and Proceedings Royal Society of South Australia Vol XXX – 1906

A good copy in original card cover 373 pages after preliminaries 12 interesting plates with 12 figures in the etc.

Another historically important edition with three papers by William Bragg. First, on the ionisation of various gases by the alpha particles of radium. Secondly, the alpha particles of Uranium and Thorium. And the third, an extension of the work carried out in the first with a plate showing the construction of the ionisation chamber. Bragg also gets involved in reporting the discovery of radium at Moonta Mines.

Also of special interest are two paper by Mawson. Mineralogical notes – fetid feldspar and quartz from Umberatana and atacamite from Bimbowrie. On certain new mineral species associated with carnotite in the radio-active ore body near Olary.

Leading work by Bragg at Adelaide with Mawson

$120.00

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The Antiquity of the Aborigines of Australia and Tasmania – The Discovery of Gold – Magnetism etc – Georgina King FRASA – Sydney 1924

Spore Coal – Tasmania – Microscope Slide

The Amazon Provinces of Peru – H Guillaume F.R.G.S. – First Edition1888

Australian Mineral Specimen – Gypsum Selenite with Copper

Australian Mineral Specimen – Prehnite – Mullaley

William Bragg – Nobel Laureate – Transactions and Proceedings Royal Society of South Australia Vol XXX – 1906

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