Prestige Items

The Voyage of the Batavia – Francois Pelsart – First Published in 1647, reissued with a translation from the original Dutch.

Probably our favourite Hordern House published book and possibly the most sought after.

Published, Potts Point, Hordern House for the Australian National Maritime Museum in 1994.

Octavo, xxvi, 162 pages with 4 illustrations plus a folding page of plates reproducing the 15 engravings of the original work.

Beautifully bound, quarter calf over marbled papered boards with contrasting leather title label. A tiny bit of age still a very worthy copy of this hard to find edition. One of 750 copies produced.

The original account “Ongeluckige voyagie, van’t schip Batavia, nae de Oost-Indien” Jan Jansz, Amsterdam 1647. Comprises the edited extracts from the journal of Francois Pelsaert relating to the disastrous voyage in the Dutch merchant ship Batavia. The ship was wrecked off the west coast of Australia. The fifteen illustrations depict the wreck and the terrible scenes following the mutiny of the crew. The account represents the first representations of the Australian coastline.

The English translation is by Willem Siebenhaar which appeared in the “Western Mail” in 1897. An additional commentary by Martin Terry from the Australian National Maritime Museum.

The Batavia – what more could have gone wrong – a quality production of this important book.

$340.00

Updating cart…

No Image Available

For Whom the Bell Tolls – Ernest Hemingway 1943 Scribner’s US Edition – Nice Copy

Published by Scribner’s, New York in 1943. Technically a first edition cited on copyright page as 1940 although 1943 on title .. so we would call it a second impression of the first.

Bound in the first edition oatmeal cloth covered boards, with red and black titling and banding to spine and facsimile signature to front. Dust jacket in near first state except no price on inside flap and photographers name, for portrait on rear, missing from first.

Thick large size octavo, 471 pages, top edge stained blue, as it should be. A very good copy, the dust jacket with a few minor chips and closed splits, really pretty good and now protected.

Hemingway’s classic about the Spanish Civil War. Tells the story of Robert Jordan a young American volunteer, attached to the Republican guerrilla unit.

Hemingway wrote the novel initially in Havana, Cuba. The work is based on Hemingway’s first-hand experiences as a reporter for the North American Alliance.

For those unfamiliar with where the title came from Hemingway helpfully provided reference to the words of English Poet and Dean of St Pauls John Donne (1572-1631) – it is well worth the understanding – … “never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee” … check it out – it will make a difference.

Ernest Hemingway – Perhaps his Strongest – Ding

$190.00

Updating cart…

Thirty Diatom Species – Mounted Microscope Slide and Catalogued by Bernard Hartley

Bernard Hartley was diatom royalty. He was born in 1917 and lived most of his life at Yoevil in Somerset. He was a civil engineer and began to make prepared microscope mounts of diatoms in 1957. He worked with fellow diatom expert R I Firth and together they identified and systemised the cataloguing of British diatom species. His other close colleague was the undisputed King of diatoms Klaus Kemp who must have had the steadiest hand known to man.

If you know little about diatoms how about this for a start. These tiny marine organisms [phytoplankton] contribute around 50 % of the marine oxygen production. In the right conditions they reproduce rapidly dividing every twenty four hours – but they only live six days. There are 12,000 known species and an estimated possibility of 200,000. The Amazon basin is fertilised by diatoms remains whipped up into the wind currents from the Sahara – an estimated 27 million tonnes per annum. They take two forms one radially symmetric and the other bilaterally symmetric. Lots more look them up – oh and they are very small and it takes great talent to handle them.

Here we have a slide by Hartley with a carefully placed row of thirty varying diatom types and, almost impossible to find, his original list of species types.

50% of the marine generated oxygen – better save them then! Special scientific collectable – with the list!

$190.00

Updating cart…

Physics – Original Oxford Doctorate Thesis – Unified Field Theory – F.H.J. Cornish 1954

For the mathematically inclined and admirers of Einstein and those that followed his footsteps – this is gold – read on.

This is an original first typed and manuscript thesis by Cornish, then an Oxford – went on to the University of British Columbia. Categorically original – you can feel the type face from the other side of the paper – an originality that always makes us shiver – a connection with the author.

Full title “The Mathematical Form and Physical Content of Unified Field Theories derived from a Variational Principle’

The work starts from a historical perspective and Einstein in 1915 and moves on to Schrodinger .. the unresolved issues and aspects of static spherically symmetric solutions to Einstein’s theory. Then the new work. A loose sheet inserted, when at British Columbia, summarises, presumably for a presentation by Cornish …

“This is a new extension of Einstein’s General Relativity Theory designed to unify the fields of gravitation and electromagnetism. The field equations of the new theory have been solved approximately for a static spherically symmetric field. The solution may be interpreted as a charged mass particle with an electro-magnetic contribution to the mass. The solution valid near the centre of symmetry contains a form factor or radius parameter which is related to the magnitude of the charge of the particle. Using the Einstein-Infeld-Hoffman method the interaction of an “n” charged particle system is found to be in accord with the Newtonian-Lorentz force terms. A finite rest mass for the photon is predicted”

Quarto, nicely bound is stout boards, half morrocco, two parts after preliminaries including preface, abstract and index, Part I – 56 pages; part II 87 pages, reference list to die for.

Seems a bit trivial, and we are gushing, but we cannot help admire the penmanship re the mass of mathematical formulae – the only correction we can see is one of placement.

Cornish – In the footsteps of Einstein – Original Work 1954 – so how heavy are your photon’s?

$280.00

Updating cart…

Horace – the Satires, Epistles and Art of Poetry – Translated William Boscawen – First edition 1797

I very nice copy of the single volume first edition translation published in 1797. Boscawen, the authority, had brought out the “Odes” a few years earlier – must say we prefer the “lighter” satires.

Octavo, 559 pages, contemporary full speckled leather binding with lavish gilt ruling to front and back, five raised bands to spine with separate black leather label titled gilt. Marbled endpapers, gilt design along inside edge.

Book label of Rev H Strangeways likely the original owner and explains lavish binding. Only fault is some loss of leather top of spine from presumably frequent reference.

Horace – it’s never too late to become acquainted.

SO SORRY SOLD

$180.00

Updating cart…

The Great Pyramid – [Astronomical] Observatory, Temple and Tomb – Richard Proctor – First Edition 1883

One of the great books on the Great Pyramid. A first edition published by Chatto and Windus, London 1883.

Octavo, 323 pages, plus lengthy publishers catalogue. Illustrated throughout with explanatory diagrams and with frontispiece. Bound as original in red/brown cloth with embossed Egyptian inspired design to front, gilt titling to spine and super gilt Great Pyramid to front. Slightly cocked with a little ageing mainly from the front tissue guard otherwise a very good copy of this important work.

Proctor was a distinguished author on many things astronomical during the era and held a fascination [along with others] about the astronomical purposes of the Pyramid. Here he explores this and other propositions with his usual diligence and we learn about the extraordinary uses of this massive structure.

Proctor explains the Great Pyramid.

$220.00

Updating cart…

The Voyage of the Batavia – Francois Pelsart – First Published in 1647, reissued with a translation from the original Dutch.

For Whom the Bell Tolls – Ernest Hemingway 1943 Scribner’s US Edition – Nice Copy

Thirty Diatom Species – Mounted Microscope Slide and Catalogued by Bernard Hartley

Physics – Original Oxford Doctorate Thesis – Unified Field Theory – F.H.J. Cornish 1954

Horace – the Satires, Epistles and Art of Poetry – Translated William Boscawen – First edition 1797

The Great Pyramid – [Astronomical] Observatory, Temple and Tomb – Richard Proctor – First Edition 1883

Product Categories