Prestige Items

The Island of Elba – Petrus Bertius -1603

An original copper engraved miniature map. One of the most striking and coveted island maps from the early 17th Century. Engraved by Pieter van den Keere for the great geographer Petrus Bertius and published by Cornelis Claesz in Amsterdam in 1603 for the “Tabularum Geographicarum Contractarum Libri”

Elba the island upon which Napoleon was first incarcerated and later escaped to fight again.

Lovely details of the main centres and fortifications; mountains and rivers carefully placed. Sea monsters can be seen .. all finished with an elaborate face embellished cartouche

Framed in gilt within gilt fillet as shown.

Charming sought after 400 years old

$280.00

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A Living Voice of the Living Bush – William Ricketts – Wonderfully Annotated and Signed.

First and only edition published by the Victorian Forestry Commission in 1965 celebrating the incredible art of William Ricketts. Larger format soft cover, 24 pages with sixteen colour illustrations. A bit marked and aged on the cover, clean inside, forgive any deficiencies for his manuscript additions.

The annotation on the first blank page reads as follows … “From my Mountain of Remembrance where we remember with love everything that was created … [followed by his creation symbol underscored with his signature] … The Prayer of the Mountain – The Prayer of the Forest – My prayer – all are one Prayer … “

Added in different hand the name of the receiver.

William Ricketts (1898-1993) misunderstood and maybe he misunderstood … regardless he made beautiful objects. If it offends, well then that’s a bit sad. He was a religious man and felt the earth and whether he misrepresented and misplaced .. well that gives a job for the academic critics. Just enjoy them. They were badly damaged in a massive storm a couple of years ago … we hope they have been resurrected.

In the 1950’s he spent quite some time with the Pitjantjatjara and Arrente people in Central Australia … they inspired his work among the trees in the Dandenong Mountains.

William Ricketts – A rare annotation we believe.

$60.00

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Radio-Activity. An Elementary Treatise, from the Standpoint of the Disintegration Theory – Frederick Soddy M.A. – First Edition 1904

An important work in the history of science. Explaining all of the then known facts by the theory of radio-activity and the explosive disintegration of elementary atoms.

Voyager scientific hero Frederick Soddy (1877-1956) was to win the Nobel Prize in 1921… “for his contributions to our knowledge of the chemistry of radioactive substances, and his investigations into the origin and nature of isotopes”.

Published by “the Electrician” Printing and Publishing Co, London in 1904.

Octavo, brown cloth covered boards with gilt lettering on front and spine. Xi, 214 pages; 40 illustrations, diagrams and charts; publishers catalogue. Some age but a worthy copy of an important and scarce work.

Soddy in conjunction with Rutherford developed the disintegration theory of radioactivity from experiments conducted between 1901-1903.

Following this work Soddy lectured in physical chemistry and radioactivity at Glasgow University. By 1913 his theory of disintegration had been further developed and the concept of isotopes developed … i.e. that certain elements exist in two forms which have different atomic weights. He became Professor of Chemistry at Aberdeen in 1914 and after WWI went to Oxford where he stayed until retirement in 1937.

Important work Soddy on Radio-Activity – early days.

$180.00

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One Ceremony One Song. An Economy of Religious Knowledge Among Yolnu of North-East Arnhem Land. A PhD Thesis – Australia National University – 1978 – Ian Keen

An original copy of the monumental Thesis written by Ian Keen to obtain his PhD from ANU in 1978. Keen to go on to be a respected anthropologist holding positions at Queensland University and ANU and spending time at Oxford, visiting Professor at Osaka etc.

Perfect bound in blue cloth covered boards, gilt titles to front and spine. Typed on one side 412 pages with 19 pages of plates from the authors photographs; 72 Figures in text; 45 tables of information and 4 maps. This copy gifted to “Jimmy” clearly an associated academic with a few marginal notes etc. Over 3 kgs in weight so if Overseas a postage supplement will be necessary.

The English born author was late to the academic world having first worked as an art restorer before doing an undergraduate degree at the University of London under Mary Douglas in his mid thirties. He did well and soon won a scholarship to work on Aboriginal religion through song symbolism in Arnhem Land, Northern Australia. This thesis demonstrates the depth of his research and provides a meticulous record of his findings.

He commenced his work on the island of Milingimbi in 1974 and worked there for fourteen months before completing a further 10 months on the mainland at Nanggalala. Its is not surprising that “’writing up” took him some time.

His “Abstract” explains his examination of the relationship between the organisation, ownership and content of religious practice and knowledge, marriage and power relations in Yolnu society. He argues that older men require the authority gained through their control of secret ceremonies and religious knowledge, in order to sustain a polygamous regime. Making possible a system of marriage through which some men gain many wives. Keen’s description of the various ceremonies is highly detailed … we doubt if any broadly published material covers such content with similar vigour.

A special reference relating to the Yolnu of Northern Australia.

$280.00

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Robinson Crusoe – Daniel Defoe – Published in 1790 – Two Volume Illustrated Edition by Stockdale London

The full title of one of the world’s most famous books … “The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventure of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner: Who lived eight and twenty years all alone in an uninhabited Island on the Coast of America, near the Mouth of the Great River Oroonoque, Having been cast on Shore by Shipwreck, wherein all the Men perished but himself: With An Account how he was at last as strangely delivered by Pyrates. Written by Himself.” …

The Second Volume is separately titled … “The Farther Adventures of Robinson Crusoe being the Second and Last Part of his Life” … to which is appended George Chalmers’s “Life of Daniel Defoe”

A two volume large octavo set bound in contemporary calf. Pagination Volume 1 .. viii,[iii]-iv, 493 pages – 9 full page plates: Volume 2 … [2],vi, 483 pages – 7 full pages plates. Some rubbing to covers and joints repaired, new in period labels to spine, a very good and desirable Robinson Crusoe set. Some age marks to title pages otherwise surprisingly clean internally.

This is the first edition of the Stockdale version and the best illustrations to date. Engraved frontispieces and plates were by Thomas Stothard (1755-1834) a leading illustrator of the period.

Robinson Crusoe the most popular, delightful and extraordinary of all of Daniel Defoe’s works. Loved by Dr Johnson who challenged anyone to put it down easily. By 1790 the text of Robinson Crusoe had become abused by other publishers, reduced and amended. Here, Stockdale reverted to the original text of Defoe to which he added the fine illustrations.

Most may know that Defoe was a great follower of William Dampier the first person to circumnavigate the World twice and eventually three times. Dampier was embroiled in the strange goings on resulting in the leaving of Scotsman Alexander Selkirk on Juan Fernandos Island, off the coast of Chile. He also, rather strangely, was pilot on the vessel that was to pick Selkirk up many year later. The story of Selkirk’s solitary life there, goats etc is the basis of Robinson Crusoe. Defoe had the island transported to the mouth of the Orinoco, for marketing purpose one presumes.

Late 18th Century and preferred illustrated Stockdale Volumes of Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe.

SORRY ON HOLD

$980.00

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Classical Medical Print [Pochoir] – Hippocrates – Kuhn Regneir – 1932

A striking hand beautifully coloured risqué “Pochoir” produced in 1932 by Joseph Kuhn-Regneir (1873-1940). Hippocrates of course had died some time earlier!

Medical Consultation at its most informal.

Beautifully framed …

Price $160.00 – Or a set of four for $490.00

$160.00

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The Island of Elba – Petrus Bertius -1603

A Living Voice of the Living Bush – William Ricketts – Wonderfully Annotated and Signed.

Radio-Activity. An Elementary Treatise, from the Standpoint of the Disintegration Theory – Frederick Soddy M.A. – First Edition 1904

One Ceremony One Song. An Economy of Religious Knowledge Among Yolnu of North-East Arnhem Land. A PhD Thesis – Australia National University – 1978 – Ian Keen

Robinson Crusoe – Daniel Defoe – Published in 1790 – Two Volume Illustrated Edition by Stockdale London

Classical Medical Print [Pochoir] – Hippocrates – Kuhn Regneir – 1932

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