India

Sarangi – Indian Stringed Instrument

The sarangi is a short necked bowed stringed instrument with a skin covered resonator. Carved from a single piece of wood. The playing strings typically gut and the numerous sympathetic strings from steel. The instrument is played predominantly in Northern India and also in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal.

The sound it produces is very emotional and can resemble the human voice with special techniques such as gamaks (shakes) and meends (sliding movements).

Its origins could be Persian the derivation of the name suggests that.

The sarangi has a box like shape with three hollow chambers .. the names of which translate to stomach, chest and brain. This good example is around the usual size (slightly bigger) at 67cm. the lower chamber is covered in parchment. There is a bridge made from bone, earlier they would have been ivory. The bridge is strong as it supports the pressure from the numerous metal sympathetic strings.

Nor really suitable for Overseas postage and will require a postage supplement in Australia dependent on buyers location. We are careful to pack well and obtain the most cost effect mailing.

Expand your musical horizons with a Sarangi.

$440.00

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Narzinge and Ceylon Petrus Bertius – Published 1610

An original copper engraved miniature map of Southern India and Sri Lanka (Ceylon). One of the earliest maps of the region.

This map was originally drawn by Barent Langenes and published by him at Middleburg and as part of Petrus Bertius’ Caert-Thresoor in 1598.

Bertius continued to include this map in his most successful “Tabularum Geographicarum Contractarum Libri” published by Cornelis Claesz in Amsterdam. This example comes from the 1603 edition of “Tabularum”.

It is rather scarce. Here uncoloured, as it should be 85mm by 122mm. Very good condition, any darkening of the paper exaggerated by the scan.

Petrus Bertius (1565-1629) was born the son of a Flemish minister a Baveren, Flanders. He became a religious refugee and moved and settled in Amsterdam. In 1577. After finishing his studies he was appointed Professor of Mathematics at the University of Leiden. He became a prolific writer on mathematics, history and theology. He also gained renown as a geographer and publisher of magnificent atlases. Later in life, in 1618 he became cosmographer and historiographer to Louis XIII of France. He died in Paris in 1629

Price as unframed

$160.00

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Exchange of Letters between Sir Leslie Orme Wilson and the Maharaja of Gondal on the former’s appointment as the Governor of Bombay – 1923. Subsequently Wilson to become Governor of Queensland

An official exchange along with a corrected draft from the Maharaja so clearly from the files of his office.

Military man and parliamentarian Leslie Orme Wilson (1876- 1955) was appointed Governor of Bombay (1923-1926). His formal advice to His Highness Sir Bhagwatsinhji Sagramji – Thakor Saheb of Gondal ((1865-1944) was sent dated 13 December 1923 on the rather striking elaborately bordered paper of the day and regime. It is framed with a “Friendly disposition”.

The delightful response was not made until 5th February the following year and I have no doubt there may have been an underlying message despite the responses carefully crafted words “great pleasure to receive the assurance of the friendly disposition”. We also like the fact that the Maharaja’s similarly elaborate paper has retained far more gold over the years than his British counterpart.

There relationship did in indeed prove friendly and Wilson was “sent on” to Brisbane to become it’s longest serving Governor from 1932 through the war years to 1946. He was the head honcho in the Queensland masons and did a lot of tress planting including sone of the nice ones down around the beginning of Coronation drive – have they survived the continuous development?

An unusual and friendly piece of history with a Queensland connection

$80.00

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Pedraluarez Cabral (Pedro Alluarez De Gouvea) – His Progenitors His Life and His Voyages to America and India – James McClymont – 1912.

A strange one appears to be effectively self published but through the great Bernard Quaritch, London. Limited to only 150 copies.

A most interesting account of the Portuguese Explorer who is attributed with the Discovery of Brazil. Born into a noble family circa 1467. In his discovery years he was likely the first person on the planet to step foot on four continents all in one voyage of 1500 when he did a significant exploration of the north east coast of South America and stuck the flag in the ground for Portugal. He then followed Vasco da Gama to the east and India in search of those valuable spices.

Large squarish octavo, 72 pages. Original calf backed red cloth covered boards, gilt titling along spine. A very good copy of a scarce item.

Pedro Cabral an oft overlooked Explorer

$120.00

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WWI Maritime and Travel Original Annotated Photograph Album – Over 180 Images

A most interesting collection spanning the years of WWI and shortly afterwards. Taken and compiled by a marine officer, over 180 original photographs, taken with some expertise, nicely presented in its original Morocco bound photograph album. The photographer has presented each photograph framing it within white borders and added very neatly in white a useful description.

The condition of the photographs is good overall, a few are faded or marked in some way from the passage of time, others are crisp and clean. A few have been removed or fallen out and few are loose inside …we have not studied where they could go … the album is robust and showing minor age wear, the whole package is very presentable and more or less complete. We wish we knew the photographer … he was clearly officer material on the Orontes and had a wife and child … we have included his image as the “thumbnail” … does anyone know who he was …?

The album can be split into two distinct periods. The first, before January 1919 being mainly onboard the HMT Orontes a vessel that plied the England – Australia route for the Orient line. With the outbreak of WWI, it became a troop carrier. The photographer appears to have also served on SS Derbyshire in a similar capacity. During this phase he took images of a number of famous vessels used in the war effort and numerous images of views, landmarks, architecture, and the people at various ports of call.

The second element post January 1919 is devoted to a circumnavigation on SS Cufic which head across the Atlantic to Nova Scotia, down to the Panama Canal and across the Pacific to New Zealand and Australia, Durban, Cape Town, and Home.

Photographs of vessels include … RMS Mauretania; Kaiseren Auguste Victoria [surrendered in 1919 and used to bring American troops home]; HMS Renown [in New York Harbour with the Prince of Wales on board]; HMS Carpathia [of Titanic rescue fame and later torpedoed and sunk]; RMS Pannonia; SS Explorer; SS Demosthenes [used to carry Australian troops]; HMS Sydney [in Colombo Harbour just after the sinking of the German Cruiser Emden]; SS Derbyshire [Colombo – Rangoon Line]; HMT Osterley; SS Cufic and HMT Orontes.

Examples of the touring images include …

The Flatiron (previously Fuller) skyscraper – New York
Washington Arch – New York
Statue of Liberty – New York
Top of Woolworth Tower – New York
5th Avenue – New York
A Glimpse of Wall Street – New York
Brooklyn Bridge and Williamsburg Bridge – New York
Boston views
The Citadel Quebec
Main Street Gibraltar
A “Blimp” convoying
A Glimpse of the US army
Panama Canal scenes
On route to Calcutta
Homeward bound in the Bay of Biscay
Cinnamon Gardens Colombo
Cape St Vincent – Portugal [Incorrectly described Spanish]
Hindu Temple South India
Colombo Harbour
Ox waggon Rangoon Burma
On the Temple steps – India
Native of South India
Children of North India
Hindu dockworker
The Pagoda Calcutta
Burmese Shrine to the God Dagan
The Schegadon Pagodas Rangoon
The lake Rangoon
A Burmese girl off to the well
Anzac Day 1918 some fancy costumes
Sierra Leone West Africa
Leaving Table Bay HMS Britannia escorting
South African troops on board – the first bugle call – “Cookhouse!”
Scene in Native Quarter Durban
Australian sheep Hamilton Victoria
Sydney Zoo
Wellington New Zealand
Tahiti South Sea Islands
Main Street Papeete
Tahitian Friends
Papeete from Crows Nest
A Harbour view Tahiti
A big dam Panama Canal
Electric Mule Panama Canal
Leaving Liverpool Jan 18, 1919 – “Bon Voyage” [a self portrait]
The first port Louisbourg – Cape Breton Island [Nova Scotia]
Snow scene St John Nova Scotia
Lock gates and numerous others – Panama Canal
“Star of Holland” mid -Pacific [a US Tall Ship]
New Zealand including memorial to Robert Scott
Melbourne – picking up the Pilot
Quarantine procedures in Melbourne
A number in Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane … and the way home via South Africa

Superb, interesting unique photographic record. Now over 100 years old.

$590.00

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Further Selection from the Tragic History of the Sea 1559-1565

Published by the Hakluyt Society in 1967 as an addition to “Tragedies” published eight years earlier under the editorship of the Esteemed Professor Boxer, Vice-President of the Society.

The earlier work dealt with shipwrecks on the east coast of Africa. This selection are further east in or on their way to the East Indies. Also, they had never been translated into English before this book .. no mean task translating 16th Century Portuguese and dealing with the lack of proof reading characteristic of the Portuguese publishing world of the period.

Octavo, 170 pages nicely illustrated with helpful maps and charts. Very good condition with the original dust jacket.

We have the … “Narrative of the loss of the Aguia and Garca, 1559-60 by Diogo do Couto”; “Shipwreck of the Sao Palo and itinerary of the survivors by Henrique Dias” and “Misadventures of the Santo Antonio and Jorge d’Albuquerque by Afonso Luis”.

First translations from the original 16thC texts – shipwrecks from the great Portuguese maritime era.

$40.00

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Sarangi – Indian Stringed Instrument

Narzinge and Ceylon Petrus Bertius – Published 1610

Exchange of Letters between Sir Leslie Orme Wilson and the Maharaja of Gondal on the former’s appointment as the Governor of Bombay – 1923. Subsequently Wilson to become Governor of Queensland

Pedraluarez Cabral (Pedro Alluarez De Gouvea) – His Progenitors His Life and His Voyages to America and India – James McClymont – 1912.

WWI Maritime and Travel Original Annotated Photograph Album – Over 180 Images

Further Selection from the Tragic History of the Sea 1559-1565

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