Queensland

The Antiquity of Man – Arthur Keith – 2 Volumes (Piltdown Man)

1928 edition by Sir Arthur Keith’s first published 1925 as a single volume. Reviewed and enhanced.

A famous work in that it includes several chapters on the greatest scientific hoax ever … The Piltdown Man … there should be a BBC mini-series on this crime. Charles Dawson discovered the skull fragments that were to provide the “missing link” between apes and man. He was then assisted by the distinguished Dr Smith Woodward. In this book Keith is not sure at all and his chapter headed “The difficulties of reconstruction” alludes to error and alternative interpretations and perhaps even the reality. The reality was exposed in1953 when the bones were found to have consisted of the mandible and some teeth of an orangutan combined with the cranium of a small brained modern human. Grafton Elliot Smith a fellow anthropologist sided with Dawson and Woodward at the Royal Society claiming that Keith’s views were motivated by ambition. Keith later recalled “Such was the end of our long friendship”.

Whilst Piltdown makes the book special there are other excellent anthropological finds well written up, not the least being the Pleistocene skull found at Talgai (near Warwick Queensland) in 1884 but brought out of a cupboard in 1914 and properly categorised by Sir T.W. Edgeworth David …. Robert Etheridge also had a hand.

Much could be said about the author Sir Arthur Keith whose interest in the origins of man stemmed from being put in charge of the Museum of the Royal Society of Surgeons at an early age.

We have included an image of the painting of key players investigating the skull of Piltdown Man … Arthur Keith is seated in the middle with Dawson and Smith Woodward standing behind him to the right …. note a painting of Charles Darwin on the wall behind the group.

Early Man and Piltdown examined but not exposed

$90.00

Updating cart…

In the Land of Pearl and Gold – Alexander MacDonald – First Edition 1907

First edition 1907. A Pioneer’s wanderings in the backblocks and Pearling grounds of Australia and New Guinea.

A nice copy with the striking front board illustration. Prospecting, mining and travel experiences in and around Australia with an excursion into New Guinea.

Good collectable relevant with nice illustrations

$120.00

Updating cart…

A Naturalist in Cannibal Land – 1913 – Arthur Stewart Meek

Meek (1871-1943) was born into a Natural History family. Before he was twenty he was at Coomooboolaroo Station in Queensland collecting for the great Lionel Rothschild for his zoo at Tring. He then travelled New Guinea and the Solomons for both Tring and the Natural History Museum. This is a second impression in very good condition.

This is the book on his travels. Amongst his great finds were the holotyoe and paratype of the Woodlark venomous snake, rare there are still only twelve specimens known. In 1906 he discovered (and shot) the first specimen of the Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing Butterfly … the largest in the world.

Many species are named after him … a crested pigeon, lorikeet, pygmy-parrot, crow, dwarf kingfisher etc and several butterflies and moths.

Meek a fearless Natural Historian who made his mark in New Guinea and the Solomons

$160.00

Updating cart…

Cape River Gold Field – Report of William Rands – 1891

William Rands was Assistant Geologist to Robert Logan Jack. This is his report to the Queensland Parliament on the Cape River Gold Field.

18 foolscap pages of the usual intense observation and detail exhibited by the Queensland geological team of the period. Covers Union Reef, General Grant Reef, Hayward Reef, The Big reef, The Just-In-Time Reef, Hughes Leader, The Mystery Reef (no Mystery!), Springs reef, Mount Remarkable, Morning Star, Martin’s, Bell-Gay, Victoria, and Governor Blackall Reefs and many many more. Crushing reports with yield from Ellen Boss, Treasure and Albion as complied by Commissioner Gill.
An appendix provides a short geological description of rocks and thin section slides of 43 samples taken in the area. The thin section slides being prepared by Clarke of Charters Towers.

The report contain a folding coloured page showing 8 geological sections the first across Mr Davenport and the cape River. And a very nice coloured Geological Sketch Map of part of the Kennedy District by William Rands (50cms by 25 cms) … note our image on the Voyager website is partly truncated because of the limitations of our scanner.

Quality Cape River Report with fine example of the Map

$90.00

Updating cart…

Tropical Diseases – Patrick Manson

A pristine copy of Manson’s “Manual of the Diseases of Warm Climates”.

A superb facsimile of the 1898 original but in a deluxe binding from the Classics of Medicine Series. Published 1984, 608 pages after preliminaries. Superb full leather with elaborate gilt work to front, back and spine. All edges richly gilt. Illustrated as per the original. Gift condition.

Sir Patrick Manson (1844-1922) was a Scottish physician who made important discoveries in parasitology and was the founder of the filed of tropical medicine. He discovered that filariasis in humans in transmitted by mosquitoes – his discovery directly invoked the mosquito-malaria theory

Tropical Diseases in Luxury Binding … postage included

$70.00

Updating cart…

Report on British New Guinea, from data and notes by the late Sir peter scratchley, Her Majesty’s special commissioner – 1886

Mr. G. Seymour Fort, private secretary to the late Sir Peter Scratchley, presents a report on British New Guinea, from data and notes by the late Sir Peter Scratchley, her majesty’s special commissioner. A very important document regarding exploration to determine the best approach to problems resulting from annexation, natives, superstition, murder, rape, missionaries, financing and administration.

The report examines, in great detail; administration and appointment of officers as necessary with the key perspective being the current position of the country, its general characteristics and, somewhat importantly, complaints of the natives against white men and of white men against natives that would require swift resolution. The examination of pressing issues continues including the killing of white men, industry and judicial proceedings, missionaries, minerals, natural products, rainfall, rivers and, a key examination of the special nature of New Guinea’s relationship with Queensland.

A key piece of colonial New Guinea’s history – Scratchley established a Colony.

$290.00

Updating cart…

The Antiquity of Man – Arthur Keith – 2 Volumes (Piltdown Man)

In the Land of Pearl and Gold – Alexander MacDonald – First Edition 1907

A Naturalist in Cannibal Land – 1913 – Arthur Stewart Meek

Cape River Gold Field – Report of William Rands – 1891

Tropical Diseases – Patrick Manson

Report on British New Guinea, from data and notes by the late Sir peter scratchley, Her Majesty’s special commissioner – 1886

Product Categories