Western Australia

A Convict Story – The Lost Lives of Lyra and William Sykes – “These few lines” – Graham Seal

Published by ABC Books, Sydney in 2006. This book took twenty year of research in England and Australia a narrative based around fragments of the separated lives of Lyra and William Sykes.

Living in northern England, William Sykes was a poacher and during such an escapade he got into an altercation and killed the gamekeeper. His penalty was transportation to the Swan River in Western Australia.

Octavo, 234 pages, nicely illustrated with images of letters exchanges, journals and places relevant to both Myra and William. Fine condition.

Interesting convict story well researched, written and presented.

$20.00

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Shipwreck Archaeology in Australia – Michael Nash

A fine copy of Michael Nash’s all embracing Australian shipwreck book.

Published by the University of Western Australia Press in 2007. Squarish large octavo, 244 pages, very nicely illustrated throughout, end paper illustration of the dreadful goings on at the Batavia camp.

Pulled together by Nash with contributions from a number of other experts in the field, or the water really.

The fifteen wrecks dealt with in detail are presented chronologically starting with the Batavia (1629) .. then a leap to Hunter’s Sirius (1790) .. the Pandora (1791) all the way to the Tasman (1883). We say fifteen but the last is a place for wrecks Garden Island (1906-1945). Notes, glossary etc finish what is a really good reference or stand alone work.

The other dimension with this book is the back history of many of wrecks – First Fleet; Bounty Related; Slavers; Walers etc and for some another aspect such as Experimental Reconstruction (Zanoni 1867); Timber Shipbuilding techniques (Water Witch 1842).

Australian Wrecks – the way in to the subject – no better presentation.

$50.00

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Batavia – The first and last voyage – Phillipe Godard.

Published by Abrolhos, Perth in 1993. Large quarto, 332 pages, a high quality production. Heavy will require a postage supplement if going overseas. Fine condition.

Well researched and stunningly illustrated our favourite Batavia book. All about the V.O.C., Francisco Pelsaert, the voyage and the Houtman Abrolhos and the wreck, Cornelisz’ Webb of treachery, Cat’s Island … and then much later the discovery of the wreck the treasures and the building of the replica and rebirth.

Become a true Batavia Expert – a photographic delight

$60.00

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Batavia’s Graveyard – The True Story of the Mad Heretic Who Led History’s Bloodiest Mutiny – Dash

First edition of Mike Dash’s book on the bloody Batavia story. Published by Weidenfeld & Nicholson, London 2002.

Thick octavo, 398 pages including extensive bibliography. A very good. Illustrated with maps and charts.

The Dutch East India vessel Batavia struck an uncharted reef off the West Coast of Australia on her maiden voyage in 1629. A total of 332 men, women and children were on board. A few headed off in a life boat to seek help. The remainder ended up on a small coral island less than a kilometre long. A band of mutineers began a cold – blooded killing spree … only eight remained alive when help arrived three months later. The ringleader Jeronimus Cornelisz a failed apothecary and heretic.

Gruesome true story of the strangest atrocities following a shipwreck off Australia in 1629.

$35.00

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Geology in Australia [Good Tasmanian Content] – Stillwell Anniversary Volume – The Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy – 1958.

This special volume was dedicated to one of Australia’s greatest geologists Frank Leslie Stillwell on his 70th birthday.

Hardbound octavo, 302 pages. After a brief biography of Stillwell … 16 discrete geological reports of substance most illustrated with fold out charts and diagrams. Rubbed and worn on spine edges, very clean inside and firmly bound, a pretty good copy

Includes the mineralisation of the Gondwana Shield. Tellurides and Selenides at the Great Boulder Mine Kalgoorlie.

Various Tasmanian reports .. The Mineralised Rift Valleys of Tasmania; Diamond drill deflection at Rosebery; Nickel Mineralisation in Western Tasmania and A History of Geological Thought at Mount Lyell.

Elsewhere includes Uranium in the Northern Territory; Galena in Western Australia and a super report on the geology of Cockatoo Island at Yampi Sound WA.

Special Geological Edition – Wide ranging content with good contribution re Tasmania.

$70.00

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Discovery – Stories of Modern Mineral Exploration – Alan Trengove

A fine copy of the first edition published by Stockwell Press in 1979.

Octavo, 278 pages, illustrated from photographs and numerous maps of mineral areas.

Starts with the “Forgotten Frontier” … Cape York and the Weipa area. Then the Bowen expanses, Pilbara before the arrival of the super mines, Gold and the advent of the offshore drilling ships. Closes with an appendix “A History of Resources of Metallic Ores” by King. Well its all a history really.

What is now a super background to the history of mineral exploration in Australia.

$30.00

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A Convict Story – The Lost Lives of Lyra and William Sykes – “These few lines” – Graham Seal

Shipwreck Archaeology in Australia – Michael Nash

Batavia – The first and last voyage – Phillipe Godard.

Batavia’s Graveyard – The True Story of the Mad Heretic Who Led History’s Bloodiest Mutiny – Dash

Geology in Australia [Good Tasmanian Content] – Stillwell Anniversary Volume – The Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy – 1958.

Discovery – Stories of Modern Mineral Exploration – Alan Trengove

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