Travel & Voyages

Islands of Men – Inside Melanesia – Colin Simpson.

Another good book about Papua New Guinea, Fiji, New Hebrides and our favourite regional island Mer – by the knowledgeable Colin Simpson.

A first edition published in 1955 by Angus and Robertson. Octavo, 248 pages, nicely illustrated from photographs, some in colour, with decorative end papers. Dust jacket a little worn – still a very good copy.

Ion Idriess wrote about Mer and here we have Simpson putting his own keenly observed view of the island and the culture of its inhabitants.

Simpson in the broader Melanesia – unique view of customs – great images.

$30.00

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The Springs of Adventure – Wilfred Noyce

A first edition published by John Murray, London in 1958.

A super book about adventure by the definition of adventurer Wilfred Noyce.

Octavo, 240 pages, illustrated from photographs. Chipped dust jacket and page edges a bit foxed otherwise a very serviceable copy.

Noyce was a Cambridge Graduate and Master at Charterhouse. In WWII he was in Nepal and found time to climb a couple of very high mountains. Later he would be in the South Col party about which he would write another book. Here he mixes his exploits with those of other under the true adventure label … that and his talent for writing makes for good reading.

Wilfred Noyce about true adventure including his own

$25.00

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Isambard Kingdom Brunel [The Great 19thC Engineer] – L.T.C. Rolt

A first edition published by Longmans, London in 1958.

Probably the best book about IKB surely the greatest engineer of the 19th Century and keeping all things relative perhaps the greatest ever.

Large octavo, 345, illustrated throughout. A little age an a hint of “parfum de library” … otherwise a nice copy.

A weighty biography which deals with every aspect of his engineering prowess … his bridges, tunnels, Great Western Railways and the monstrous stem ships that broke the mould in design and scale …

This book has obviously been owned by an admirer of the great man. An image of IKB has been carefully manicured and pasted opposite the preface and many ephemeral items have been placed in strategic spots throughout. We have left them there as it give the book a unique character which we do not wish to spoil.

Brunel – Engineering Design came naturally to him.

$40.00

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The Great White South or, With Scott in the Antarctic – Herbert Ponting – 1923

Subtitle … Being and account of Experiences with Captain Scott’s South Pole Expedition and of the Nature life of the Antarctic.

Herbert Ponting’s highly regarded and popular contribution to the heroic era library.

Published by McBride , New York. Printed from the UK plates. Octavo, 305 pages plus In Memoriam, with an introduction by Kathleen Scott which has numerous references to Scott’s Diary in which he praises Ponting’s abilities and contribution. Illustrated throughout from images taken from Ponting photographs (circa 175) and a further two drawings and a map. Original deep blue cloth covered boards with gilt titles and Terra Nova emblem to front, rough cut page edges as issued. A tiny bit of age, really very clean inside and a delightful copy.

This book, about the fateful Tera Nova expedition, is well written and provides a different perspective. The images are sublime making the narrative come to life in a manner that could not be done otherwise.

Ponting essential Antarctic and photography.

$120.00

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Australian Antarctic Science – The First Fifty Years of ANARE – Marchant, Lugg and Quilty

Published in 2002 by the Australian Antarctic Division, Kingston, Tasmania. Large octavo, 622 pages after preliminaries. Illustrated boards (never had a dust jacket). A substantial quality production. A fine copy – heavy book probably not suitable for Overseas postage alone.

Edited by Harvey Marchant (leader of the Biology program), Desmond Lugg (Chief, Medicine of Extreme Environments at NASA) and Patrick Quilty (Retired Chief Scientist).

A wealth of knowledge brought together and condensed into a fine work on the Antarctic.

Born out of the 1997 Jubilee Science Symposium the work begins with an address from the Governor of Tasmania.

The scope and process of developing research programs is reviewed and the then stimulus of new technologies. An exciting lengthy chapter on Cosmic-ray physics and astronomy. Antarctic operational metrology by Neil Streten and the automatic weather stations.

Our favourite, the History of the Southern Ocean and Antarctic Continental Shelf followed by its companion the Geological Evolution of the East Antarctic Shield. Terrestrial biology, aquatic microbiology …. Krill, fish, birds and mammals. And the physics of the atmosphere, climate and other environmental issues.

The whole well illustrated with charts, diagrams and images and as expected cross referenced to wealth of published research.

ANARE a lasting scientific record.

$70.00

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Spring on an Antarctic Island (Bylot Island) – Katherine Scherman

First edition published by Victor Gollancz, London in 1956. The author and a group of naturalists and scientists visit remote Bylot Island, north of Baffin Island well within the Arctic Circle.

Octavo, 329 pages, end paper maps, illustrated from photographs taken on the expedition. A small chip top of dust jacket, otherwise a fine copy.

The party flew by light aircraft to Pond Inlet a remote Hudson Bay Company outpost on the northern shores of Baffin Island. Some explorations in the locale and then off further north to Bylot with Eskimo guide Idlouk. They set up camp near the Aktineg glacier. Bylot sparsely populated with a few friendly Eskimo group is a cold mountainous place with its own unique flora and fauna. Image the Arctic Willow which last eight years but never gets higher than five inches.

Bylot a unique environment – an authentic account.

$35.00

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Islands of Men – Inside Melanesia – Colin Simpson.

The Springs of Adventure – Wilfred Noyce

Isambard Kingdom Brunel [The Great 19thC Engineer] – L.T.C. Rolt

The Great White South or, With Scott in the Antarctic – Herbert Ponting – 1923

Australian Antarctic Science – The First Fifty Years of ANARE – Marchant, Lugg and Quilty

Spring on an Antarctic Island (Bylot Island) – Katherine Scherman

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