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The Voyage of the “Scotia” – Being the Record of a Voyage of Exploration in the Antarctic Seas By R.N. Rudmose Brown, J.H.H. Pirie and R.C. Mossman

A facsimile of the rare first published by Blackwood and Sons, Edinburgh in 1906. This edition by ANU, Canberra in 1978.

The original small quarto this octavo, 375 pages with numerous illustrations and a chart of the track of the Scotia; a map of Laurie Island South Orkneys and a large folding chart at the rear … Bathymetrical Survey of the South Atlantic Ocean and the Weddell Sea. A fine copy. The piper on the front is naturalist Burn Murdoch … the first person to play the bagpipes on the Antarctic … and also in the Arctic … quiet an achievement.

With an additional forward by Sir George Deacon which adds greatly to our understanding of the expedition leader William Spiers Bruce and his colleagues who were joint authors of this account

William Spiers Bruce (1867-1921) was born in Edinburgh and was Scotland’s greatest polar scientist and oceanographer. His greatest accomplishment is recorded in this account, leading the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition (1902-1904) to the South Orkney Islands and the Weddell Sea, where they conducted the first oceanographic explorations and discovered the northern part of the Caird Coast. They established the first permanent weather station in the Antarctic. Bruce would not write the popular account of the expedition so it fell to his three lieutenants to write this much admired work.

Bruce had previously been on the Dundee Whaling Expedition (1892) having given up medical studies to participate. In between he participated in Arctic Voyages to Novaya Zemlya, Spitsbergen and Franz Josef Land. He wanted to joined Scott’s Discovery Expedition but it is said that he fell out with Markham and therefore organised his own Scottish expedition. He was a good friend of Mawson and provided gear towards Mawson’s later expedition.

The Scottish expedition, an early one with significant achievements, often overlooked.

$140.00

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Australian Eastern Shovelnose Ray – by Shaw & Nodder – 1791

Very early copper engraved hand coloured engraving of the Australian Eastern Shovelnose Ray (Aptychoterma Rostrata) which you can find along the coast from Newcastle in NSW to the Far North in Queensland, more prevalent around the Barrier Reef. Very good condition original 18thC colouring.

A medium sized ray with a long flattened triangular snout, wedge shaped disk and shark like tail. Sexually dimorphic dentition – the males have elongated carps on their anterior teeth that allow them to grip the female during mating … ouch.

George Shaw oversaw the Natural History Department at the British Museum. Nodder was a natural history artist and worked for Banks on his Florilegium.

Price unframed $90.00 or $190.00 framed in Voyager Natural History style.

Very early Australian Fish Engraving

$90.00

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Bronze Plaque Swedish Polar Explorer Otto Nordenskiöld by Austrian Artist Hugo Taglang – 1905

Produced to commemorate the Antarctic achievements of Swedish explorer Otto Nordenskiöld (1869-1928) who led a Heroic Era expedition to the Antarctic in 1901-1904. A fine image of the man decked out in heavy polar furs.

Nordenskiold arrived in the Antarctic in 1901 and wintered on Snow Hill Island. Unfortunately, their ship the ‘Antarctica” got trapped in ice and sank in 1903. His back up Larsen eventually met up with the stranded team but was unable to get them away. They were eventually rescued by the Uruguayan Navy. Despite all this their visit was hailed a scientific success as they explored and researched much of Graham Land.

Nordenskiöld was made Professor of Geography at Gothenburg University in 1905 the same year this commemorative was struck. He later went on to explore northern Greenland and in the 1920’s certain parts of South America. He was killed by a bus in Gothenburg crossing the road.

80mm by 57mm weighing 170gm. The artist medallist Hugo Taglang (1874-1944) was born in Vienna. An example of this item is shown in the National Maritime Museum Collection, London ID MEC 2149.

Otto Nordenskiöld an unusual Antarctic commemorative
.

$180.00

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Maigret and the Burglar’s Wife – Georges Simenon – First UK edition 1955

A first UK edition of an early Simenon published by Hamish Hamilton in 1955, the French equivalent being 1953.

Octavo, 160 pages, a little age and spots but not a bad copy for a sought after Maigret.

The burglar’s wife had a history with Maigret – she tried to spoil his arresting of her by taking her clothes off. This is years later when Loft is married to Sad Freddie a not very successful burglar. Sad Freddie comes across a dead body during one of his late night escaped and it all starts from there.

Early Maigret First Edition and the story of Lofty and Sad Freddie

$50.00

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The Old Man and the Sea – Ernest Hemingway – 1967 Edition

Should be everyone’s favourite short read. Nobel citation – “his powerful style-forming mastery of the art of modern narration, as most lately revealed in his novel The Old Man and the Sea”.

A later edition published by Jonathan Cape in 1967.

Octavo, 127 pages. With the colourful wrap around jacket by Hans Tisdall. The jacket in very good condition bar a nibble on the back leading fold. The pages are pretty clean, generally a very good copy.

Much debate among critics regarding this book … the anti-Hemingway brigade miss the point by a nautical mile. No better metaphor for Hemingway’s life than these words. Could the ending be more poignant?

Hans Tisdall was the designer of the Hemingway Cape dust jackets. You can see why we like them at Voyager … they have Universal attraction. Tisdall (1910-1971) born in Germany was originally a textile designer and made his name at Edinburgh Weavers. Later in life he won awards for the design of the entryway to the Battersea Fun Park and was commissioned to produce dust jacket artwork for which he designed these distinctive brushstroke cursive fonts. Michael Harvey subsequently produced a new typeface base on this style named Tisdall Script.

Nobel Classic – Ernest Hemingway

$50.00

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A History of Trains and Trams in Tasmania – Thomas Cooley.

Thomas Cooley previously published “Railroading in Tasmania” and had completed this work concerning his lifetime interest just before he died.

Published posthumously by the Tasmanian Government Printer, Caudell in 1987. Octavo, 184 pages, illustrated from some super period photographs, maps of lines etc.

A quite special book and naturally the train systems being connected so much to the broader history of Tasmania … the development of mining in the West and North East for example. We particularly like the references to and images of early operating traction engines which couldn’t make there way into the unambiguous title.

Super copy of Cooley’s definitive book on the Tasmanian Rail and Tram Systems.

$40.00

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All products

The Voyage of the “Scotia” – Being the Record of a Voyage of Exploration in the Antarctic Seas By R.N. Rudmose Brown, J.H.H. Pirie and R.C. Mossman

Australian Eastern Shovelnose Ray – by Shaw & Nodder – 1791

Bronze Plaque Swedish Polar Explorer Otto Nordenskiöld by Austrian Artist Hugo Taglang – 1905

Maigret and the Burglar’s Wife – Georges Simenon – First UK edition 1955

The Old Man and the Sea – Ernest Hemingway – 1967 Edition

A History of Trains and Trams in Tasmania – Thomas Cooley.

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