Travel & Voyages

Small Boats and Big Seas [A Hundred Years of Yachting – Edited by Ralph Stephenson

First edition published by Oxford University Press, Melbourne in 1978.

Octavo, 189 pages, nicely illustrated, a pretty good copy in a nice dust jacket.

Numerous small boat accounts by well known names from the early days – Slocum, Vanderdecken, Knight etc to the mid period – Jack London, Fox, Villiers and Richards to more modern times with Moitessier, Tetley, Whitaker etc …

Wonderful collection of salty water adventurers.

$25.00

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The Travels of Marco Polo – Manuel Komroff

Our favourite edition of the Travels of Marco Polo edited and introduction by Manuel Komroff.

Published by Garden City, New York, a first in this form 1930. Large royal octavo, xxxii, 370 pages including the index. Embossed black cloth covered boards with gilt titles and design to spine. Dust jacket complete but protected in unremovable protection. Top edge stained blue as required. Illustrated by Witold Gordon with 32 full page coloured designs. A little age and a few spots – still a very worthy copy.

The work leans on two earlier translations by British orientalists. First, that of William Marsden (1754-1836) published in 1818 … importantly Komroff identifies a missing part of this work. Secondly, that of Yule (1820-1889) published by Murray in 1871 elements of which Komroff provides important revisions.

After an excellent 32 page introduction the work follows the traditional plan … Prologue … Book I - Account of Regions Visited or Heard of On the Journey from the Lessor Armenia to the Court of the Great Khan at Shangtu; Book II - Account of the Great Kublai Khan, His Capital, Court and Government. Also, of Cities and Provenances Visited on Journeys Westward and Southward; Book III – Japan and Archipelago, Southern India, and the Coasts and Islands of the Indian Sea; Book IV – The Wars Among the Tartar Princes and Some Account of the Northern Countries. Index etc

New York born, Manuel Komroff (1890-1974) was a multi-talented writer and translator. He spent time in Russia during the Russian Revolution. The illustrator, Witold Gordon (1885-1968) was born at Warsaw and after emigrating to New York became a recognised artist. At the time of this book he was commissioned to do the murals at the Radio City Music Hall and in 1939 completed a 6,000 square foot mural for the New York World Fair. The works in this book are considered his finest examples of his modernist aesthetic style.

Marco Polo – The Best Travels – Nicely Illustrated.

$90.00

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Queensland Royal Geographical Society Journal – Diamond Jubilee Issue 1885-1945. Interesting Papua New Guinea content – Including the Kokoda Trail

The journal as published by the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia (Queensland). Octavo, soft wrappers, 113 pages after preliminaries, folding chart, images from period photographs, sketch map of Papua New Guinea etc. A very good copy bar innocent marks to the covers … pretty clean and bright inside.

After various historic introductions articles re “Queensland Pastures – Their Development and Improvement; Across Papua’s Mighty Delta by A.L. Ethell; Irrigation (Queensland); The Interior of Eastern Papua by Captain Vernon - which describes the immediately post war Kokoda with interesting observations

Nicely illustrated and with a fold out sketch map from Bootless Bay (near Port Moresby) to Buna showing a vertical cross section of the Kokoda track.

A special issue of the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia (Queensland) Journal with particular interest to New Guinea collectors and readers.

$60.00

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Voyages Toward Antarctica 1699-1839 – Below the Convergence – Alan Gurney

We have swapped the title and sub-title around as the sub makes perfect sense.

Another well researched book by Alan Gurney published by Norton, New York / London in 1997.

Octavo, 315 pages, some illustrations, great useful maps, 15 in all, at the back and the extensive bibliography. A fine copy.

This earlier Antarctic period is of special interest to Voyager. We start with Halley and the Paramore, Cook, Bellingshausen, Weddell, Biscoe, Kemp and Balleny etc. Earlier sealers made their mark without too much fuss.

Antarctic – the early years one for the left hand side of the bookshelf

$35.00

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Return to Tahiti – Bligh’s Second Breadfruit Voyage – Douglas Oliver – 1988

First edition published by Melbourne University [Miegunyah Press] in 1988. A super fine copy.

The first voyage written about a thousand times and in film of various qualities. The second successful voyage less well covered. This excellent book by Douglas Oliver covers it well.

Small quarto, 281 pages, illustrated to a high standard as you would expect from the Miegunyah Press, Melbourne.

After scholarly introductions we the Preparations for the Voyage and the outward journey first to Tasmania … then on to Tahiti and goings on at Matavai Bay. The return voyage with the true “Bounty”.

Bligh and the Breadfruit – finally

$45.00

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Confessions of a Beachcomber – E.J. Banfield – 1910

Published London 1910 Second Impression of the first edition of this Queensland classic – title continues.. “Scenes and Incidents in the Career of An Unprofessional Beachcomber in Tropical Queensland”.

Published by Fisher Unwin, London. Thick octavo, 336 pages, illustrated with map and 51 plates. Some wear to the striking pictorial red themed cover, bumps etc. Internally some foxing especially near ends – still a handy copy of this desired edition and priced accordingly.

Banfield an early confession of a Dunk Island one of the world’s most tranquil places.

$80.00

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Small Boats and Big Seas [A Hundred Years of Yachting – Edited by Ralph Stephenson

The Travels of Marco Polo – Manuel Komroff

Queensland Royal Geographical Society Journal – Diamond Jubilee Issue 1885-1945. Interesting Papua New Guinea content – Including the Kokoda Trail

Voyages Toward Antarctica 1699-1839 – Below the Convergence – Alan Gurney

Return to Tahiti – Bligh’s Second Breadfruit Voyage – Douglas Oliver – 1988

Confessions of a Beachcomber – E.J. Banfield – 1910

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