Products | Voyager Rare Books Maps & Prints

Reminiscences of an Australian Pioneer – Robert Barton [Uncle of Banjo Patterson] – 1917

Barton’s reminiscences – a “squatter of the olden days”. Born in 1842 in the central West belonging to the first generation to follow the original land-takers in the west.

Barton, was an uncle to Banjo Patterson and spent his life in New south Wales and Queensland. His portrait as frontispiece is rather dull but his life was not.

By 1840 the squattocracy was firmly ‘landed’ and well-to-do. Barton looks back positively to the convict origins of his family’s assigned men. As a young man in his twenties the bushrangers Frank Gardiner and Ben Hall bushranging gangs were part of his life. Later he is confronted by the trade union movement and striking shearers.

First edition published by Tyrrells, Sydney in 1917. Octavo, vii, 288 pages with portrait of author. Original purple cloth rather standard binding, spine faded as usual with the plum coloured dye. Pages toned but clean and some age to ends, ownership details on front ends and the odd helpful annotation from an informed early owner – likely first. Scarce and worthwhile copy.

One on the best Australian Pioneering stories

$140.00

Updating cart…

The Yellow Joss [Coral Sea, Cape York, Torres Strait] – Ion Idriess – 1942

Selection of tales from Cape York, Coral Sea and Torres Strait based on fact. Great photographs.

An early edition published in 1942 by Angus and Robertson, Sydney. Octavo, 266 pages, some age, the odd spot but overall a very good pre-war edition with a nice dust jacket – we love the design. Illustrated throughout from relevant period photographs

Idriess tales of adventure in the very North

$60.00

Updating cart…

Prospecting for Gold. From the Dish to the Hydraulic Plant and from the Dolly to the Stamper Battery. With Chapters on Tin, Osmiridium, Platinum, Opals and Oil. – Ion Idriess

Ion Idriess wrote Prospecting for Gold from his own experiences and the knowledge of his gold bug mates. He had been commissioned by the Australian Government to encourage self-employment.

Published by Angus and Robertson, Sydney. A 1954. Octavo, x, 296 pages, illustrated and with a very helpful glossary. A separate chapter by Government Geologist W.G. Woolnough on Prospecting for Oil. Dust jacket a bit chipped, now protected in acid free removable Brodart. A very good copy.

Osmiridium is an interesting one. Read about the element Osmium … essential for good pen nibs. Stay away from the Tetroxide. Tasmania had its own Osmium boom starting the 1920’s … still quite a few undeveloped prospects. What can we do with the world’s heaviest element?

About the book .. unusual for Idriess – not a yarn to be seen – solid practical information that may have stood the test of time.

Ion Idriess – a guide to finding your fortune in the bush

$120.00

Updating cart…

Nemarluk – King of the Wilds

Nermarluk (1911-1940) was an aboriginal warrior who lived near Darwin at Moyle Plain. He was a fighting man well over six foot tall. He was the head man of the Chul-a-mar.

In 1930 he was imprisoned at the Fannie Bay jail but escaped swimming the eight km across the Darwin Harbour to Cox Peninsula. This account represents the last three years of his life when he was tracked by Bul-Bul, who had been brought in by the Northern Territory police to finally capture him.

1951 Edition Published by Angus and Robertson, Sydney. Octavo, 213 pages, evenly toned, still war paper and some age in ends, very good dust jacket … all up a good copy of one of the harder to find Idriess reality based books.

Rare Idriess in the Northern Territory and the brave but dangerous Nermaluk

$40.00

Updating cart…

Two Against the Ice [the “Alabama” Expedition, 1909-1912] Ejnar Mikkelsen

Scarce Travel Book Club publication by Rupert Hart-Davis published London, no date but 1950’s. Translated from Danish by Maurice Michael. Octavo, 224, map of North-East Greenland the location of the adventure. Dust jacket has age, edge tears, some age, generally pretty clean inside a good copy.

One of the great Arctic adventure accounts. The purpose of the expedition was to map out the northeast coastline of Greenland and to recover the bodies of Mylius-Erichsen and Hoeg-Hagen.

Mikkelsen and his engineer Iversen wintered on Shannon Island. Their ship, the Alabama, got trapped in the ice and the rest of the party returned home on a whaler. The pair succeeded after a series of hazardous sledge journeys in recovering the lost records of the missing party and disproving the existence of Peary Channel. On returning to base and finding the crew gone they erected a makeshift hut from salvaged timbers and spent two winters there before being rescued. It got a bit frayed between the two of them, but they made up in the end – this book is dedicated to Iversen.

Classic Arctic adventure in North-east Greenland

$60.00

Updating cart…

Waller’s Owl [Australian Eastern Grass owl] -Silvester Diggles – Brisbane – c1870

Rare original hand-coloured lithograph by Queensland naturalist Silvester Diggles. Published as part of his magnificent work “”The Ornithology of Australia” between 1866 and 1870 in twenty-one parts by Pugh of Brisbane, in a very limited edition. By the time part sixteen was published there were only 92 subscribers. The original plates were executed on stone and coloured by Diggles and his niece, Rowena Birkett.

The Waller’s Owl in modern times referred to as the Eastern Grass Owl. A beautiful reclusive and rarely seen bird which is occasionally seen in New South Wales but mainly in Queensland where it hunts the cane fields and grasslands for rodents. A medium sized owl similar to the barn owl. Colouring tan-brown with black, white and orange mottling, long legs which it uses to snatch its prey from dense undergrowth.

The work measures 38cm by 27cm, good hand colouring pretty clean and undamaged. A scarce item.

About Silvester Diggles

Silvester Diggles (1817-1880) artist and musician born in Liverpool, England. He came to Australia in 1853 settling in Brisbane where he taught music and drawing. Diggles was a founder of the Brisbane Choral Society in 1859 and the Philharmonic Society in 1861 known as “the father of music in Brisbane”. Diggles was also a founder of the Queensland Philosophical Society and helped establish the Museum. His greatest work was The Ornithology of Australia. It nearly sent him broke. His health deteriorated worry about finances being a factor. He died at Kangaroo Point in 1880.

Price $490.00 unframed.

An opportunity to own a rare original owl by Queenslander Silvester Diggles.

$490.00

Updating cart…

All products

Reminiscences of an Australian Pioneer – Robert Barton [Uncle of Banjo Patterson] – 1917

The Yellow Joss [Coral Sea, Cape York, Torres Strait] – Ion Idriess – 1942

Prospecting for Gold. From the Dish to the Hydraulic Plant and from the Dolly to the Stamper Battery. With Chapters on Tin, Osmiridium, Platinum, Opals and Oil. – Ion Idriess

Nemarluk – King of the Wilds

Two Against the Ice [the “Alabama” Expedition, 1909-1912] Ejnar Mikkelsen

Waller’s Owl [Australian Eastern Grass owl] -Silvester Diggles – Brisbane – c1870

Product Categories