Fiction

In the Great White Land (A Tale of the Antarctic Ocean) – Gordan Stables

Adventure book in the Antarctic for the young and young at heart.

Published by Blackie London but really Glasgow in the early 1930’s.

Octavo, 288 pages thick spongy paper and despite the spongy quite clean with some marks to the extreme per edge. Coloured frontispiece and three full page illustrations. Prize label on front end papers. Rare in the illustrated dust jacket.

Three stories and despite the subtitle starts with … “Far Away in the Frozen North” an Arctic adventure on the good barque Walrus and the oft frozen Captain Mayne Brace (great pun). Story two “Under the Southern Cross” requires no clue as to the general location with many icy encounters. Finally “On the Great Antarctic Continent” and the beauty and marvel of the Ice-Cave. The sledging journey across the tableland and the dash for the pole takes its lead from the great Heroic Era accounts.

Young at heart adventure with a nod to Polar reality.

$80.00

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Pilot Pete [An Antarctic Adventure] – Alan Villiers

Published by Angus and Robertson a 1963 edition of Villiers’s delightful book with a “save the whales message” and he saved some ships as well .

Drawing of maritime adventurer Villiers’s experience whaling in the Antarctic and the knowledge and superstitions that surround encounters with a porpoise. Porpoise Pete lived around Perseverance Harbour, Campbell Island .. which is south-east of the Enderby Islands, in turn south of New Zealand.

Nicely illustrated by H.T. Cauldwell. Octavo, 64 pages. A very good gift worthy copy.

Villiers could write for all ages about the coldest of seas. .

$25.00

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Simon Black in Space – Ivan Southall.

An early sought after Space Classic published in 1953 an year after the first.

Published by Angus and Robertson, Sydney and London. Octavo, 223 pages, some line drawn illustration, very clean internally albeit light toning, super dust jacket, making the book gift worthy.

The author was a distinguished pilot in the R.A.A.F in WWII awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (D.F.C). After the war he was co-opted to write about the R.A.A.F in Europe. He still had time to write about the adventures of Simon Black.

Black in the special aircraft “Firefly 3”, the only aircraft in the World capable of pursuing the flying saucers into space. Accompanied by Rex the Alsatian (it’s a dog’s life).

Collectable Early Space Adventure penned by Australian Hero.

$60.00

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James Bond – For Special Services – John Gardner – First Edition 1982

After the death of Ian Fleming, John Gardner was give the “licence to print money” by the copyright holders of the Bond trove.

A first edition published by Jonathan Cape in conjunction with Hodder & Stoughton, London in 1982. Octavo, 254 pages plus afterword. Jacket design by Bill Botten all in very good condition – super condition jacket.

There was a ten year hiatus until Gardner penned his first post Fleming Bond book “Licence Renewed” … this is his second. Bond is “loaned’ to the Americans – Spectre has reappeared and it’s the Revenge and Extortion bit of the acronym that gives everyone the hump. Killer ants make an appearance

The New Old Bond back fighting Spectre with the odd dalliance

$60.00

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The Travel Books [the Far East and Spain] – Somerset Maugham

A triple serving of Maugham … On a Chinese screen; The Gentleman in the Parlour and Don Fernando.

Thick octavo, 148, 170 and 146 pages of Maugham on the move. Published by Heinemann, London in 1955. A sign of age on the dust jacket edges, otherwise a very good copy especially given its age.

“The Gentleman in the Parlour” records a journey from Rangoon to Haipong … real Somerset Maugham territory and (as he says) is an exercise in style.

“On a Chinese Screen” is a reflection on his travels in China during 1920.

“Don Fernando”, almost self explanatory, is a Maugham Spanish classic. Whilst included under this “Travel” umbrella it is a historical account set in the times of Velasquez and El Greco … and obviously Don Fernando.

Somerset Maugham perhaps at his best in the East with a helping of Spain thrown in …

$30.00

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Larn Yersel’ Geordie [Learn Yourself Geordie – the Language of the North East of England] – Scott Dobson

Not an expensive book but a priceless one! The “go to” reference for the language of Voyager’s birthplace.

Scott Dobson, a well known local identity, starts by making it clear that this is a language not a dialect … almost correct we would say. Geordie’s take many of their unique words and expression from the Viking’s … and maybe one of two of their customs … e.g. “chatting up each others birds”.

Not only will you learn some “Geordie” the book is a very funny piece .. as you would expect if you know any of the natives.

Paperback, 32 pages, with some daft illustrations, ending in a Vocabulary of Geordie Phrases”. Used but pretty good condition. Published in Rothbury, Northumberland in 1986.

Postage will be reduced on final billing for Australian (and Geordie) customers.

Man Up .. Learn some Geordie today!

$20.00

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In the Great White Land (A Tale of the Antarctic Ocean) – Gordan Stables

Pilot Pete [An Antarctic Adventure] – Alan Villiers

Simon Black in Space – Ivan Southall.

James Bond – For Special Services – John Gardner – First Edition 1982

The Travel Books [the Far East and Spain] – Somerset Maugham

Larn Yersel’ Geordie [Learn Yourself Geordie – the Language of the North East of England] – Scott Dobson

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