Fiction

The Dawn of Time – Australian Aboriginal Myths in Paintings – Roberts and Mountford.

A first edition of this “sequel” to Dreamtime. Another wonderful book by ethnologist Charles Mountford and artist Ainslie Roberts.

Published in 1969 again by Rugby, Adelaide. Same small quarto format 79 pages with a beautiful image for each of the myths recounted by Mountford received from Elders and Storytellers.

Includes some from the coast such as Kondole the Whale; Pipinyawari the Queen Fish … the Fighting Cloud Women; the Black Kangaroo; and our favourite Brolga the Dancing Girl .. albeit a little sad.

Remember this story when you see a Brolga.

$30.00

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Richer than All His Tribe – Nicholas Monsarrat – First Edition 1968

A fine copy of the first edition published by Cassell, London in 1968. Octavo, 369 pages, map of The Island of Pharamaul. A really fresh copy.

Despite fame from “the Cruel Sea” it is widely accepted that amongst his large body of work The Tribe That Lost its Head (published 1956) and this later development of the themes therein Richer Than All His Tribe were his best works.

Monsarrat had spent some time in South Africa as a diplomat and he draws on his experience to write about the obscure colonial island of Pharamual set in the South Atlantic some 500 miles from the South West Coast of Africa. It all starts with Independence Day …

Monsarrat back at Pharamaul.

$30.00

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The Dreamtime – Australian Aboriginal Myths in Paintings – Ainslie Roberts and Charles Mountford.

A interesting book published by Rigby of Adelaide who have done some good work. Small quarto, 79 pages, well illustrated with colour images of the aforesaid paintings – and they are beauties.

All up 32 aboriginal stores recounted and illustrated including .. The banishment of the Cuckoos; Mangowa and the Round Lakes; The Creation of the eagle and the Crow; The Mopaditis and the Black Cockatoos; Tirlta and the Flowers of Blood ..

Special images, beautiful meaningful stories.

$30.00

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Captain Caution – Kenneth Roberts – First UK Edition 1949

First UK edition published by Collins, London in 1949.

American historical adventure writer Roberts highly regarded at the time compared, by some, with Dumas and Victor Hugo … high praise indeed.

Octavo, 255 pages with the super period dust jacket. A fine copy the condition surprising considering age and time of printing.

In the main concerning the American War of Independence. Our hero Captain Marvin stocks it up the British but not without a period of imprisonment in the hulks … escapes and takes a prize in true Hornblower fashion. He escapes to France and is victorious in a thrilling naval battle off Madeira.

Captain Caution is not so Cautious.

$30.00

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The Chiffon Scarf – Mignon Eberhart – First Edition 1940.

1940 First Edition published by The Sun Dial Press, New York. Octavo, 301 pages, some dust jacket chips otherwise a really good copy of a hard to come by period mystery.

More murders than Midsummer. A triangular love affair complicates a situation rife with horror! A test flight to check the performance of a new engines leaves two dead. With many a weapons about but what about “The Chiffon Scarf”?

Nebraska born Mignon Eberhardt (1899-1996) was probably America’s most successful female mystery writer during her lifetime and she wrote from the 1920’s into the 1980’s. Winner of many awards her novels compared with Agatha Christie in terms pf plot, characterisation and dramatic effect …

1940 First Edition – Sensational Mystery

$50.00

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Kangaroo – Sylvie Selig – Jonathan Cape 1980

Possibly our favourite kangaroo book.

Picture book published by Jonathan Cape in 1980. Landscape 44 pages and an unusual construction in that every second page is a half page which creates a new image against the full pages … an interesting and amusing device. A pretty good copy.

Our little kangaroo has an idyllic home life but is carried away by a bird of prey … not for long he is rescued and looked after and soon recovered to his grateful family. Every page a vibrant image. Not said but clearly based in the more tropical parts of Australia.

Sylvie Selig was born in 1941 in France … her art cover a broad range of styles and her premium work is highly collectable … at the core is her vibrant imagination subtly bordering ion the surreal.

Collectable kangaroo with striking colourful illustrations.

$25.00

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The Dawn of Time – Australian Aboriginal Myths in Paintings – Roberts and Mountford.

Richer than All His Tribe – Nicholas Monsarrat – First Edition 1968

The Dreamtime – Australian Aboriginal Myths in Paintings – Ainslie Roberts and Charles Mountford.

Captain Caution – Kenneth Roberts – First UK Edition 1949

The Chiffon Scarf – Mignon Eberhart – First Edition 1940.

Kangaroo – Sylvie Selig – Jonathan Cape 1980

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