Australia

Important Voyage Account – The Voyage of the Duff to the South Sea Islands – Captain James Wilson – First edition 1799.

Full title … A Missionary Voyage to the Southern Pacific Ocean Performed in the Years 1796, 1797, 1798, in the Ship Duff, Commanded by Captain James Wilson. Compiled from Journals of the Officers and the Missionaries; and Illustrated with Maps, Charts and Views drawn by Mr William Wilson, and engraved by the most eminent Artists. With a Preliminary Discourse on the Geography and History of the South Sea Islands; and an Appendix, including details never before published, of the Natural and Civil State of Otaheite.

Printed by Gosnell for Publisher T. Chapman, Fleet Street, London 1799. Large quarto with wide margins. 420 pages after preliminaries and before substantial and distinguished subscribers list. With seven folded engraved maps and six beautifully engraved plates. Rebound at some time in half crimson morocco over matching red cloth covered boards, headband, top edge freshly gilt. A very good solid and internally clean copy.

An early voyage to the Pacific, undertaken for the purpose of establishing a mission in Tahiti. A settlement of was formed with twenty five members. Though the King befriended them, they met with continual difficulties due to continuous civil wars and were finally forced to flee to Australia. Though some returning some time much later in 1815. The work contains many valuable details regarding Tahiti, the Fiji Islands, Tonga, the Marquesas, etc. The discovery of a new group of islands, named the Duff Group among the Santa Cruz Islands. The narrative is full and readable with considerable valuable observation – not at all in the often dry “missionary” style. Stands, in our view, as a key read in the early Pacific Voyages genre.

The large folding “Chart of the Duff’s Track in the Pacific Ocean” was the first map to use the name Australia than New Holland.

Other important maps comprise – Feejee Islands; Marquesas Islands; Duff’s Group; Gambier Islands; Island of Otaheite and Island of Tongataboo.

Views comprise … Harbour of Rio Janeiro; Missionary Settlement at Matavai; View of Tallo Harbour; Great Morai of Oberca; Morai and Ark of the Eatooa at Attahooroo and Fiatookas of Futtasaihe.

One of classic late 18thC voyage accounts of significant exploration interest – a very good copy.

$980.00

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Robert O’Hara Burke and the Australian Exploring Expedition – Andrew Jackson 1860

Scarce first edition of this essential Burke and Wills book published by Smith and Elder in 1862.

Octavo, xxi, 229 pages with woodcut portrait of Burke and folding map, extensive Publishers Catalogue at the rear. Original green cloth covered binding, some internal foxing particularly the map and adjacent pages as usual. Very good original embossed green cloth covered binding, gilt title to spine bright and fresh. Unusual for a usually distressed book.

Andrew Jackson may have known Burke personally, he was certainly an acquaintance of Burke’s father, they were officers in the same Regiment. The first chapter give an interesting account of the family military history and background on Robert O’Hara Burke.

Written from papers, journals, letters, reports, interviews etc associated with the expedition. Nicely written carefully compiled.

An important “companion work” to the Bentley published book based on Wills’s journal and letters.

Scarce Burke and Wills contemporary reference

$690.00

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Sailing with Flinders: The Journal of Seaman Samuel Smith – Peter Monteath (Hardback version one of 200 Copies)

First edition, readily available as a softcover but rare as a hardback due to the tight limitation. Numbered 154 of 200 copies thus.

Published by the super Corkwood Press, Adelaide in 2002. Professor Peter Monteath [descendant of Gidley King] of Adelaide University a well published historian. This book marries well with his “Encountering Terra Australis” of which Voyager usually has a copy.

Fine condition, xiv, 86 pages, maps in text numerous other illustrations, notes and bibliography.

Monteath edits the extant journal and provided his sizeable introduction. Apart from Flinders writings this is the only journal kept during the Voyage of the Investigator 1801-1803 during which Flinders circumnavigated Australia proving undisputedly its island form and filling in many parts of the then “Unknown Coast”. The writer of the journal [It was more like an exercise book] , Samuel Smith, was from Manchester and joined Flinders’ crew below decks as low a rank as could be got. Nevertheless, Flinders had a small tightly bound crew and Smith’s account makes for good and full reading.

An important historical account one of the tightly held hardbacks.

$80.00

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Cruising the Coral Sea – Alan Lucas

This is the third edition nicely updated with aerial images and some extra anchorages. A really super book about the tropical coast of Queensland and the Ocean and Islands. The kind of book that is probably difficult to continue to produce spoilt by the accessibility of the internet. But nowhere is so much useful and interesting information presented in an orderly and balanced fashion.

Published by Horwitz in 1976, large octavo, 336 pages with a multitude of maps, sketches, the aforesaid photographic images etc.

After a useful introduction we have a description of the reefs , the islands past present and notes on conservation. Then a handy chapter on catching and cooking your own food .. and the number of poisonous creatures encountered. Safety in the waster … not just sharks but the stingers even the small ones that can kill. Then into the detail of the approaches and anchorages and what a good anchorage looks like …

A special book on Queensland and only dated where it is interesting …

$30.00

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The Exploration of Australia – Albert Calvert – First Edition 1895

A pretty good copy of the first edition of Calvert’s book much admired and coveted in any collection on the subject. A compendium volume was issued a year later due to the success of this work.

Published by George Philip, London in 1895. Small quarto, 26cm by 21 cm, quarter bound cream buckram (simulated vellum) over deep blue buckram with gild titles and line decoration. Aged to spine as usual, corners rubbed. Pretty good internally the large folding map repaired close tear. Internally a little browned due to the spongy nature of the paper, really quite clean throughout; viii, 26 pages. Frontispiece of Dampier, 16 plates. A solid book 1.4kgs.

The super map is 87cm by 72cm with the routes of the likes of Sturt, Mitchel, great, Winnecke etc marked

Albert Calvert carried out his own explorations often influenced by gold exploration and mainly in western Australia. He was a prolific writer about Australia partly to fund his exploratory activities. He had previously published ‘The Discovery of Australia” concerning the early maritime activities of the Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, French, British etc. In the Preface to this work he describes his pain in working with the early accounts, in terms of their completeness, reliability etc. In this work he is more at ease in that he has the first hand accounts of the various explorers .. on land he mapped out each day of their activities … hence the huge map included.

Exploration covered include in the maritime, Dampier; the Dutch; Cook; Flinders; Phillip; Baudin, Bougainville … in the interior, Wentworth; Sturt; Mitchell; Macquarie; George Grey; Eyre etc

Calvert’s collectable account on the exploration of Australia with valuable map.

$150.00

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My Fourth Tour in Western Australia – Albert F Calvert – Illustrated Walker Hodgson – First Edition 1897 – A Presentation Copy and Interesting Provenence

A first edition of Calvert’s most impressive book published in 1897. A presentation copy from publisher William Heinemann, London to Herbert Ingram … compliments slip bound in at title page.

The illustrator Walker Hodgson completed the tour and is described by Calvert in his Preface as “the Lion of the Party”.

The copy was later purchased by Victor Deuters and gifted to his son David. Deuters was a close acquaintance of the illustrator, Walker Hodgson. The book contains a copy letter from Hodgson to Victor … for the purposes of the gift to his son. Hodgson’s in true “artistic hand” runs to four sides, mentions david as a little boy, many reminiscences and then a lengthy section on this Calvert book … where it can be found; contents; his involvement in illustrations and also contributing the last two chapters; its good reception at the time etc. Hodgson refers to himself as “the Old Scarecrow” obviously feeling his age and signing of with a scarecrow decoration at signature. The letter is dated 1940 and he concludes “We can hear the sounds of War from here, quite clearly!”

Large quarto, xxvi, 359 pages, catalogue. Tissue guarded frontispiece portrait of Calvert, ten plates – some double page, 400 in text illustrations. Coloured folding map of Western Australia showing the Gold Fields, minor tape repair at map hinge. Half bound dark blue over lighter blue cloth covered boards, gilt title front and spine. A really nice clean and bright copy.

In the 1890’s Calvert became and authority on Australia and published important books about its early discovery and exploration. His works on western Australia are unique and based on his own experiences. He first cam to Australia in 1890 in the company of his grandfather and perhaps his father, both of whom were involved in mining. Their first trip under the umbrella of the General Exploration Company was largely unsuccessful. Further trips ensued with greater success … this the fourth trip the most expansive and best recorded. The illustrations, particularly of mining towns and activity are special.

Sir Herbert Ingram was the 2nd Baronet Ingram. His grandfather founded the Illustrated London News which his father later managed. The lithographed bookplate carries an image by Alphonse Mucha maybe the most sought after illustrator of the period.

Calvert’s superior book on Western Australia and Mining with a special enchanting provenance.

$690.00

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Important Voyage Account – The Voyage of the Duff to the South Sea Islands – Captain James Wilson – First edition 1799.

Robert O’Hara Burke and the Australian Exploring Expedition – Andrew Jackson 1860

Sailing with Flinders: The Journal of Seaman Samuel Smith – Peter Monteath (Hardback version one of 200 Copies)

Cruising the Coral Sea – Alan Lucas

The Exploration of Australia – Albert Calvert – First Edition 1895

My Fourth Tour in Western Australia – Albert F Calvert – Illustrated Walker Hodgson – First Edition 1897 – A Presentation Copy and Interesting Provenence

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