Victoria

Shipwreck Archaeology in Australia – Michael Nash

A fine copy of Michael Nash’s all embracing Australian shipwreck book.

Published by the University of Western Australia Press in 2007. Squarish large octavo, 244 pages, very nicely illustrated throughout, end paper illustration of the dreadful goings on at the Batavia camp.

Pulled together by Nash with contributions from a number of other experts in the field, or the water really.

The fifteen wrecks dealt with in detail are presented chronologically starting with the Batavia (1629) .. then a leap to Hunter’s Sirius (1790) .. the Pandora (1791) all the way to the Tasman (1883). We say fifteen but the last is a place for wrecks Garden Island (1906-1945). Notes, glossary etc finish what is a really good reference or stand alone work.

The other dimension with this book is the back history of many of wrecks – First Fleet; Bounty Related; Slavers; Walers etc and for some another aspect such as Experimental Reconstruction (Zanoni 1867); Timber Shipbuilding techniques (Water Witch 1842).

Australian Wrecks – the way in to the subject – no better presentation.

$50.00

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An account of a Voyage to Establish a Colony at port Philip in Bass’s Strait, on the South Coast of New South Wales, in His Majesty’s Ship Calcutta, in the Years 1803-3-4. – J.H. Tuckey.

Tuckey was a First Lieutenant of the Calcutta and this is a true facsimile of the voyage to and affairs in Australia of the abandoned attempt to create a settlement at Port Philip and the consequence of the move that led to the foundation of Hobart in Tasmania. Some useful footnotes are added.

The voyage out occupies approximately 60% of the book .. to Teneriffe; Cape Verde; Rio de Janeiro [much about Rio]; Cape of Good Hope [Via Voyager’s favourite island group Tristan d’Acunha; then the mysterious St Paul's and on to Port Philip. Them transactions at Port Philip which gives rise to the addenda … lists of plants; Meteorological observations; timbers found and observations respecting the selection of convicts and the means of preserving health. Hobart get a mention but its brief before the vessel turns for home.

Published by marsh etc, Melbourne in 1974. Octavo, set as the original of 1805, 240 pages. Bound in full leather with impressed design to front and back, raised bands to spine, separate leather title label [spare label at back]. Number 51 of a limited edition of 500. Hand bound at the Dove Bindery, Melbourne. A very good copy albeit previous ownership details hidden in the end papers.

Tuckey on the Calcutta – his account.

$120.00

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Tall Ships and Sailormen – A Concise Survey of Victoria’s early Maritime History – J. K. Loney.

Self published by the irreplaceable Jack Loney who knew everything maritime everything shipwreck there was to know.

Soft cover, 100 pages with an unusual unpaginated inset of 18 pages with images from photographs .. this may be an addition to the book … printed on smaller paper stock. Bar that, further illustrations, maps, charts etc.

The usual Loney comprehensive approach covering … Bully Forbes; Lure of Gold; Steamships; Tragic Loch Line; Mosquito Fleets; Hulks and Lighters. And, under “Making History” … Sealing and Whaling; Ghosts at the Rip; West Coast Mysteries; Smugglers; Shenandoah Incident etc etc.

Even to keep you going for a few wintery nights and at least one round of “Mastermind”

Loney summarising Victoria … and there is a lot of it!

$30.00

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A Living Voice of the Living Bush – William Ricketts – Wonderfully Annotated and Signed.

First and only edition published by the Victorian Forestry Commission in 1965 celebrating the incredible art of William Ricketts. Larger format soft cover, 24 pages with sixteen colour illustrations. A bit marked and aged on the cover, clean inside, forgive any deficiencies for his manuscript additions.

The annotation on the first blank page reads as follows … “From my Mountain of Remembrance where we remember with love everything that was created … [followed by his creation symbol underscored with his signature] … The Prayer of the Mountain – The Prayer of the Forest – My prayer – all are one Prayer … “

Added in different hand the name of the receiver.

William Ricketts (1898-1993) misunderstood and maybe he misunderstood … regardless he made beautiful objects. If it offends, well then that’s a bit sad. He was a religious man and felt the earth and whether he misrepresented and misplaced .. well that gives a job for the academic critics. Just enjoy them. They were badly damaged in a massive storm a couple of years ago … we hope they have been resurrected.

In the 1950’s he spent quite some time with the Pitjantjatjara and Arrente people in Central Australia … they inspired his work among the trees in the Dandenong Mountains.

William Ricketts – A rare annotation we believe.

$60.00

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Victoria’s Forgotten Goldfield – Christie and Gray – Signed by Christie – First Edition 1981

… A History of the Dargo, Crooked River Goldfield.

Super little book and a very details and oft curious story of the goldfield at Dargo, in Eastern Victoria.

Softcover, small format, 136 pages, with illustration, tables of information etc a nice production. Signed on the title by Christie, very good condition albeit the back cover is marked at edges, but with no comprise internally which is bright and clean.

After discovery in 1865, gold recovery peaked in 1868 at 7,652 ounces and soon fell away. Despite this brief moment of glory as with other gold fields it spurred an enormous amount of interest and development in the area. We are off tomorrow to look at a spot not too far away.

Well honed history of one of the lesser known and more curious gold finds in Australia

$35.00

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The Exploration of Australia – Albert Calvert – First Edition 1895

A pretty good copy of the first edition of Calvert’s book much admired and coveted in any collection on the subject. A compendium volume was issued a year later due to the success of this work.

Published by George Philip, London in 1895. Small quarto, 26cm by 21 cm, quarter bound cream buckram (simulated vellum) over deep blue buckram with gild titles and line decoration. Aged to spine as usual, corners rubbed. Pretty good internally the large folding map repaired close tear. Internally a little browned due to the spongy nature of the paper, really quite clean throughout; viii, 26 pages. Frontispiece of Dampier, 16 plates. A solid book 1.4kgs.

The super map is 87cm by 72cm with the routes of the likes of Sturt, Mitchel, great, Winnecke etc marked

Albert Calvert carried out his own explorations often influenced by gold exploration and mainly in western Australia. He was a prolific writer about Australia partly to fund his exploratory activities. He had previously published ‘The Discovery of Australia” concerning the early maritime activities of the Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, French, British etc. In the Preface to this work he describes his pain in working with the early accounts, in terms of their completeness, reliability etc. In this work he is more at ease in that he has the first hand accounts of the various explorers .. on land he mapped out each day of their activities … hence the huge map included.

Exploration covered include in the maritime, Dampier; the Dutch; Cook; Flinders; Phillip; Baudin, Bougainville … in the interior, Wentworth; Sturt; Mitchell; Macquarie; George Grey; Eyre etc

Calvert’s collectable account on the exploration of Australia with valuable map.

$150.00

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Shipwreck Archaeology in Australia – Michael Nash

An account of a Voyage to Establish a Colony at port Philip in Bass’s Strait, on the South Coast of New South Wales, in His Majesty’s Ship Calcutta, in the Years 1803-3-4. – J.H. Tuckey.

Tall Ships and Sailormen – A Concise Survey of Victoria’s early Maritime History – J. K. Loney.

A Living Voice of the Living Bush – William Ricketts – Wonderfully Annotated and Signed.

Victoria’s Forgotten Goldfield – Christie and Gray – Signed by Christie – First Edition 1981

The Exploration of Australia – Albert Calvert – First Edition 1895

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