Prestige Items

Letters From High Latitudes – Earl of Dufferin Governor General of India – From the Library of The Novar of Raith, Ronald Munro Ferguson, to be 6th Governor General of Australia and, who had married the daughter of Lord Dufferin, Lady Helen Hermoine in the year that Ferguson signed the inside of this book 1889.

Being some account of a Voyage in 1856 in the Schooner Yacht “Foam” to Iceland, Jan Meyen, and Spitzbergen.

Eighth edition published by John Murray in 1887, London, having been published a number of times since the first of 1857. New editions continued on well into the 20th Century.

Octavo, 248 pages, with frontispiece of the “First Glimpse of Jan Mayen”, and numerous illustrations throughout. Original blude cloth covered boards with gilt device to front, gilt titles to spine. Original jet black endpapers with Ronald Munro Ferguson, Novar of Raith’s bookplate on the front paste down. Also, signed and dated by Ferguson on a blank page before the half title July 27″ 89, the year he married Duffrein’s daughter … a wedding gift from the father-in-law?

Written as if a series of lengthy letters. Some unusual introductory content … poem “To The Figure=Head of the “Foam””; list of Dramatis Personae … Protesilaus stumbles on the threshold; the Icelander – a modern Sir Patrick Spens; Loch Goil – the Saga of Clan Campbell; through the Sounds – Stornaway; Out into the North Atlantic and gales and sea sickness – first sight of Iceland, landing at Thule; Reykjavik and buying horses … the lava plateau, mystical mountains, crossing the Arctic Circle; On to Jan Mayen and the volcanic Mount Berrenberg; Sailing for Bear Island and Cherie Island, the Freer Sea, landing at Spitzbergen, English Bay and Lady Edith’s Glacier …

Despite the popularity of the expedition and the book of events this was the only published work of the rather busy Frederick Hamilton-Temple -Blackwood, the First Marquess of Dufferin and Ava of Northern Ireland. Dufferin (1826-1902) was variously .. 3rd Governor of Canada, Viceroy and Governor General of India, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster etc he also held senior positions in the Middle East. Born into wealth he was educated at Oxford. Late in life he became involved in a major financial scandal resulting in the loss of most of his own fortune. He was exonerated of any blame , seemingly.

Ronald Munro Ferguson (1860-1934) was born at Kirkcaldy, Scotland. He attended Sandhurst an after a military career was elected to the House of Commons in 1884. In 1914 he was appointed Governor-General of Australia, forming a close bond with Prime Minister Billy Hughes during the difficult years of WWI. He held office until 1920, the six year term then being a record. Returned to Scotland to become 1st Viscount Novar and Secretary for Scotland. After politics he held Board and Management position in a number of Insurance and banking companies and, was knighted in 1926.

Price $180.00

Dufferin in the “Foam” in the cold North … unusual descriptive writing. Exceptional provenance

$180.00

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Silvester Diggles – Australian Birds – Pied Honey-eater, Slender-billed Spine-bill and the White eye-browed Spine-bill

Rare original hand-coloured lithograph by Queensland naturalist Silvester Diggles. Published as part of his magnificent work “”The Ornithology of Australia” between 1866 and 1870 in twenty-one parts by Pugh of Brisbane, in a very limited edition. By the time part sixteen was published there were only 92 subscribers. The original plates were executed by Diggles and his niece, Rowena Birkett.

The work measures 38cm by 27cm, good hand colouring pretty clean with just the odd surface mark. A really scarce item.

Silvester Diggles (1817-1880) artist and musician born in Liverpool, England. He came to Australia in 1853 settling in Brisbane where he taught music and drawing. Diggles was a founder of the Brisbane Choral Society in 1859 and the Philharmonic Society in 1861 known as “the father of music in Brisbane”. Diggles was also a founder of the Queensland Philosophical Society and helped establish the Museum. His greatest work was The Ornithology of Australia. However it nearly sent him broke. His health deteriorated worry about finances being a factor. He died at Kangaroo Point in 1880.

Price $240.00 unframed

An opportunity to own a rare original bird print by Queenslander Silvester Diggles

$190.00

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The Peculiar Use and Signification of Certain Words in the Latin Tongue: or, a Collection of Observations, wherein the Elegant, and Commonly Unobserv’d Sense of very near Nine Hundred Common Latin Words. William Willymott – 1713

A scholarly book from the early eighteenth century. One that will give any reader a leg forward in the intellectual stakes.

Published by R Bonwick printed at the Cambridge University Press in 1713. A second edition. Scarce.

Octavo, 4, 374 pages bound in original full panelled calf, spine with raised bands, losses to ends, joints tender. Some long gone worming to the margin of a few of the last leaves, otherwise a pretty good proper antiquarian copy.

We have no date of birth but William Willymott died in 1737. He was born at Royston, Cambridgeshire and educated at Eton and then Kings College, Cambridge were he graduated B.A. M.A. L.L.D. by 1707. He was made a Fellow. He became an usher at Eton and then founder pf Isleworth Private School. He was suspected as having an attachment to the Pretender which hampered his career. He considered law but changed his mind and took orders … living at the Rectory Milton near Cambridge. He died at the Swan Inn at Bedford … not a bad pub.

Overcome your Latin deficiencies with Willymott – 1713

$120.00

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Unexplored New Guinea Wilfred Beaver – First Edition 1920

A scarce first edition… a record of the travels, adventures and experiences of a resident magistrate amongst the headhunting savages and cannibals of the unexplored interior of New Guinea.

Beaver was twenty-seven years resident magistrate in the Western District.

Published by Seeley, Service & Co, London in 1920. Thick octavo, 320 pages. Nicely illustrated with 34 photographs taken by the author and 4 maps. With a focus on the extreme West – the Fly River, Kiwai Island, The Girara Tribes, The Bamu, Gama and Turama. Much on religious beliefs and practices. A very good copy.

Another rare PNG book at Voyager – Beaver up the Fly

$160.00

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Poems to Pavlova – Tulloch Cull – First Edition 1913

A first edition of this poetic homage to the great ballerina Anna Pavlova.

Published by Herbert Jenkins, London in 1913. Square octavo, 62 pages after preliminaries with 8 plates from period photographs. Original decorative green cloth covered boards, all in very good condition.

Russian born Anna Pavlova (1881-1931) hardly requires introduction. Principal artist of the Imperial Russian Ballet and the Ballets Russes … forever to be remembered as the dying swan.

Her name was pronounced Pa … vlova unfortunately the pudding designed in her honour Pav … lova has corrupted our understanding. Invented (the pudding) during her tour of Australia in the 1920’s … disputed by Kiwis across the Ditch who believe it was first made in Wellington.

Anna Pavlova … much more than a meringue with fruit!

$60.00

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A Bibliography of the Writings of Jonathan Swift – Herman Teerink.

A second revised and corrected edition of Dr Teerink’s fundamental reference on Swift.

Published by the University od Pennsylvania Press in 1963. Published in Britain by the Oxford University. First published in 1937, Teerink had continued to compile new discoveries and corrections since that date. He died in 1961 so it was down to Editor Arthur Scouten to produce this update from Teerink’s notes.

Large, thick octavo, 453 pages with frontispiece of Captain Lemuel Gulliver. A very good copy.

The preface by Thomas Yoseloff, Director of the Press reflects on the decision to publish the revision and the difficultly in understanding Terrink’s handwriting. Probably in the history of bibliography there has not been more challenge than in this work on Swift, mainly because of the nature of the publishing trade in the first half of the 18thC and the many potential attributions not under the authors real name or published anonymously.

A monumental work. One might say … what interest a Swift bibliography unless the completely immersed. Well, really it give one a thorough education of the publication of the book in the era … the challenges .. unsold runs of earlier copies and how they can be used in bolstering re-issues of complete works etc. the printing houses and the quality of editorial and review before press.

The structure of book is helpful … Table of Symbols and abbreviations. Table of Location of Teerink Numbers and then the body … Collected Works; Smaller Collections; A Tale of the Tub; Gulliver’s Travels; Separate Works; Doubtful (well some would challenge other and put some of these in the mix); Biography and Criticism, 1709-1895. And a useful index.

Jonathan Swift – more than Gulliver and “the Tub” a lifetime work by Teerink.

$60.00

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Silvester Diggles – Australian Birds – Pied Honey-eater, Slender-billed Spine-bill and the White eye-browed Spine-bill

The Peculiar Use and Signification of Certain Words in the Latin Tongue: or, a Collection of Observations, wherein the Elegant, and Commonly Unobserv’d Sense of very near Nine Hundred Common Latin Words. William Willymott – 1713

Unexplored New Guinea Wilfred Beaver – First Edition 1920

Poems to Pavlova – Tulloch Cull – First Edition 1913

A Bibliography of the Writings of Jonathan Swift – Herman Teerink.

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