Fictional Travel and Exploration

Whalers of the Midnight Sun – Alan Villiers [Based on His Experiences] – 1964

Maritime hero Alan Villiers brings his undoubted experience to this adventure book aimed at young boys.

A new edition and first of its type, Angus and Robertson 1964. Octavo, 248 pages with ten full pages illustration from woodcuts by Charles Pont. A little aging to page edges and gift inscription back of half title, nice bright jacket, all up a pretty good copy.

End paper maps of the voyage from Hobart, Tasmania down to Macquarie Island; the Balleny Islands; the Ross Sea; Grahams Island before heading north to Montevideo.

A Norwegian expedition picks up some extra crew at Hobart, a motly band of youths and a stow away, little Alfie, who appears at Macquarie Island. Adventure ensues.

Alan Villiers, a yarn about Whaling, from personal experience.

$30.00

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

Published by Blackie, London 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 striking 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.

Adventure in the frozen South – very South.

$80.00

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The Foundation Trilogy [Foundation: Foundation and Empire: Second Foundation] and then The Stars, Like Dust; The Naked sun; I Robot – Complete & Unabridged – Isaac Asimov

A monster collection including Isaac Asimov’s greatest work the Foundation Trilogy and more all in one place.

This is a Book Club edition in association with the principal’s Heinemann, Secker and Octopus Book. Issued in 1982. Extra thick octavo, 863 pages. A very slight even tone to the pages due to the nature of the paper very clean throughout – an unread copy we suspect. Binding and dust wrapper very good. Too heavy for overseas without a postage supplement.

Asimov won the Hugo Award for BEST ALL Time Science Fiction Series with the trilogy … the Galactic empire crumbles but one man creates a new force for civilised life … it gets complicated.

And at the very end I, Robot … given the explosion of AI makes this a must read or a read again.

Asimov – his best stuff – will keep you going through the winter.

$50.00

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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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Captain Caution – Kenneth Roberts – First UK Edition 1949

First UK edition published by Collins, London in 1949.

American historical adventure writer Roberts highly regarded at the time compared, by some, with Dumas and Victor Hugo … high praise indeed.

Octavo, 255 pages with the super period dust jacket. A fine copy the condition surprising considering age and time of printing.

In the main concerning the American War of Independence. Our hero Captain Marvin stocks it up the British but not without a period of imprisonment in the hulks … escapes and takes a prize in true Hornblower fashion. He escapes to France and is victorious in a thrilling naval battle off Madeira.

Captain Caution is not so Cautious.

$25.00

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Ungava: A Tale of Esquimax-Land – Robert M. Ballantyne

One of the most prolific writers of adventure for the young Scottish born Robert Michael Ballantyne (1825-1894) went to Canada at the age of 16. There he worked for six years for the Hudson Bay Company. In his autobiography he said that writing long letters to his mother on the goings on of the fur traders was the stimulus behind his first books.

His first was “The Hudson Bay Company” and then “The Young Fur Traders” … this book was his fourth. He went on to pen over 100 books to the delight of his adventure seeking followers.

An early 20th century edition published by Nelson, London. Octavo, 509 pages, blue cloth covered boards with sailing ship design and design to spine, coloured frontispiece. A very good copy indeed.

A party of explorers head into Eskimo territory to establish a fur trading post at Ungava Bay. Situated in the Nunavik region of Quebec.

Ballantyne in one of those “live there did that” adventures.

$60.00

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Whalers of the Midnight Sun – Alan Villiers [Based on His Experiences] – 1964

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

The Foundation Trilogy [Foundation: Foundation and Empire: Second Foundation] and then The Stars, Like Dust; The Naked sun; I Robot – Complete & Unabridged – Isaac Asimov

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

Captain Caution – Kenneth Roberts – First UK Edition 1949

Ungava: A Tale of Esquimax-Land – Robert M. Ballantyne

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