Travel & Voyages

Call to the Winds – P.G. (Bill) Taylor – First Edition 1939

Important and scarce aviation book. “Bill” Taylor’s heroic flight with Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm.

First edition Angus and Robertson, Sydney, 1939. Octavo, 227 pages, with period photographs of the aircraft “Southern Cross” including the damaged engine and propeller and the life saving thermos flask. Signature on front paste down. Very good copy with an almost impossible to find dust jacket.

Patrick Gordan Taylor (1891-1966) later knighted one of Australia’s greatest aviators. Participated in several major flight firsts with Sir Charles Kingsford, Charlie Ulm and later Richard Archbold. Known affectionately as “Bill” … Taylor joined the British Royal Flying Corps in 1916 with No 66 Squadron. After the war he returned to Australia and the start of commercial aviation activities.

The core of this book is about a 1935 flight, in the Southern Cross, with Kingsford Smith and Ulm from Australia to New Zealand with the view to establishing a mail service between the two countries. Mid Tasman the starboard engine failed. They decided to return to Sydney but encountered high winds. The port engine began to overheat and was running out of cooling oil. Bill Taylor climbed outside the aircraft along the wire below the wind strut, with a thermos flask, drained oil from the broken starboard engine and transferred it to the port engine. He did this six times before they made a safe landing back in Sydney.

Aviation Heroics – Bill Taylor with Kingsford Smith and Ulm – outside the Southern Cross over the Tasman

$180.00

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Tales of the Angler’s Eldorado New Zealand – Zane Grey – First edition 1926

First edition, published by Hodder & Stoughton, London in 1926.

Quarto, x,228 pages bound in the original blue cloth covered boards with gilt titling and leaping fish to front. A little age to spine ends otherwise a super copy for a book near 100 years old. Heavy at circa 2kg so likely not suitable for Overseas.

Zane Grey (1872-1939) famous for his interest in and writing about great fishing adventures rather than his profession – dentistry. He was also handy with the camera and the many illustrations are from photographs taken by the author. Additional sketches by Frank Phares.

Fishing for some big guys … Marlin, Swordfish and the Mako Shark and maybe less butch for Taupo and Trout on quieter waters.

Zane Grey is the man with the “fush” in New Zealand ..

$120.00

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To Greenland’s Icy Mountains – Eve Garnett – First Edition 1968

A semi fictionalised account of Hans Egede, Explorer and Missionary who in the early 18thC went in search of the descendants of 10thC Christians who went to the West Coast of Greenland.

Egede was in Greenland between 1797-1718. The author makes Egede’s story come alive as if it was yesterday.

Published by Heinemann, London in 1968, a first edition. Octavo, 190 pages, well illustrated with frontispiece portrait, sketches by the author and images from appropriate photographs, maps and charts. Good condition albeit front free end paper excised.

Inspirational Greenland Story

$25.00

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A Tour of Old Tasmania – Tatlow, Wooley and Mercer

This tour guide is not dated and what would you expect from the three rogues Tatlow, Wooley and Mercer.

Self published in 2008. Softcover, 232 pages, extensively illustrated. Ownership signature at front, otherwise a very good copy.

The three claim the book to be “Your official guide and ripper true tales of the past” … Overseas buyers to translate “ripper” to can’t be beaten etc.

We have a map near the front that plots the referenced route – all tow thousand plus kilometres of it – often to out of the way off the beaten track places.

Really a special guide all the more readable because of the muted eccentricity of the writers – true Tasmanian boys.

A Tasmanian guide book to start and finish with.

$30.00

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Present Day Japan – Campbell Davidson – 1912

Published in 1912 this is a super book on Japan by Campbell Davidson.

Published by Fisher Unwin, London. Thick octavo, 366 pages with approx. 60 illustrations, many from period photographs. Impossible not to mention the embossed decorative cover and spine … truly makes the book.

The author writes beautifully in the first person. After a First Impressions introduction we take in Yokohama. Travelling in Japan and what to expect … including “out-door baths”. The National Faith and hidden in there the conquest of Korea. Then on to Kyoto and its beautiful temples; Nikko and the Sacred Bridge; Tokyo its size and simplicity and a part devoted interestingly to Japanese Theatre and “the Forty-seven Ronins”.

Japan a substantial account of early 20thC Japan.

$90.00

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My Amazon Adventure – Sebastian Snow

A super Readers Book Club, Melbourne edition of Seb Snow’s adventure in the Amazon.

No date but 1955. Octavo, 285 pages plus index. Illustrated well from photographs taken on the adventure .. so they have that home grown feel that we find truly authentic.

Snow was only 21 when he set out on what would become a 3,500 mile journey. He travelled from the source of the Amazon in Peru to the mouth of the Para River in Brazil.

Super, in the moment writing, again an authentic trademark. We love it.

Snow did not melt in the heat of the Amazon.

$25.00

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Call to the Winds – P.G. (Bill) Taylor – First Edition 1939

Tales of the Angler’s Eldorado New Zealand – Zane Grey – First edition 1926

To Greenland’s Icy Mountains – Eve Garnett – First Edition 1968

A Tour of Old Tasmania – Tatlow, Wooley and Mercer

Present Day Japan – Campbell Davidson – 1912

My Amazon Adventure – Sebastian Snow

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