Travel & Voyages

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.

$80.00

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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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Together Alone (In the Pacific) – Ron Falconer.

Published by Bantam in 2004, an only softcover. A super story about a great man and his family.

Ron Falconer born in Scotland joined the RAF, became an architectural draftsman and then designed and built his one boat. A special yacht he named Fleur d’Ecosse. He went sailing, alone, perhaps, we are told, 50,000 miles. He met the beautiful Anne and he took her to the Caroline Atoll in the northern reaches of French Polynesia. There they had a family, built their Robinson Crusoe style house and lived the life we all dream of.

Octavo, 255 pages, with maps and a handful of nice images from photographs taken in their heavenly Paradise.

We think Ron now lives in France but until recently lived at Moorea … and could be heard singing at the Kareka Bar … he has a super voice in the Simon and Garfunkel sort of style … check him out on Youtube,

A Scotsman in Paradise with the voice of an Angel.

$25.00

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The Narrative of the Jeannette Arctic Expedition – First Edition 1882

True first edition published by subscription only. With maps, portraits, engravings and the splendid decorated cloth covers which make the book a treasure. A hint of even toning, inner hinges tender, otherwise a very good copy in bright and clean decorated boards.

Longer title … “Our Lost Explorers: The Narrative of the Jeannette Arctic Expedition as related by the Survivors, and in the Records and last Journals of Lieutenant De Long, Revised by Raymond Lee Necomb, Naturalist of the Expedition. Also, an Account of the Jeannette Search Expeditions etc.”

Set out from San Francisco in July 1879 with supplies for three years sponsored by the owner of the New York “Herald” who also sponsored Stanley to search for Livingstone. The objective was to approach the North Pole through the Bering Straits.

She was lost for two years caught in ice near Wrangel Island and eventually crushed. The crew escaped but 13 survived out of 33.

Three new islands were discovered and named although they have always been regarded as Russian territory.

The Janette lost in the Arctic in the 1880’s

$190.00

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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

Together Alone (In the Pacific) – Ron Falconer.

The Narrative of the Jeannette Arctic Expedition – First Edition 1882

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