Religion

The Hand its Mechanism and Vital Endowments as Evincing Design – Sir Charles Bell – 1833

Published by William Pickering, London in 1833. A second printing same year as the first, revised and expanded.

Octavo, 314 pages with numerous engravings throughout the text. Bound in contemporary half calf, spine gilt ruled with raised bands and separate leather title label. A very nice copy of an important fundamental work.

Constituted the fourth volume of the remarkable Bridgewater Treatises (See our other listing).

A landmark book by Scottish Surgeon Sir Charles Bell (1774-1842). He was the first Professor of Anatomy and Surgery at the London College of Surgeons and established the Medical School at the University of London where he headed up the Surgery Department.

Medical Classic by Sir Charles Bell

$180.00

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The Journals of Thomas Williams Missionary in Fiji 1840-1853 – 2 Vols – G.C. Henderson – First Editions1931

A fine first edition set published by Angus $ Robertson, Sydney in 1931. Large octavo, 278 and 279- 606 pages. Very good if not fine condition. With an annotation of the free endpaper by the author “With the Author’s compliments to his fellow Sabbath-breaker on the xxx links 20/11/31”

Carries the heraldic bookplate of Sir Howard Watson Lloyd, Bank of Adelaide etc and old boy of St Peters surely Australia’s best school.

Thomas Williams recorded in the finest and most intimate detail his observations of and interactions with native Fijians in the first half of the 19th Century. His manuscript accounts are held in the Mitchell Library. The author Henderson a noted expert on Fiji trawled over these difficult to read documents and other related items held in London to produce as complete a work as possible.

Starting from his humble home in Horncastle, England Thomas Williams set out across the world … after a lengthy introduction which deals with this background and a few brief notes on the voyage out we find him on the Fijian Island of Lakemba and then Somosomo and Mbua Bay. Thomas Williams was by no means a brilliant artist, but he left many sketches now in the Michel which have been used as illustrations and bring the narrative alive. The whole embellished with maps, charts and later photographs of localities.

Included a couple of ephemeral scraps in the authors had writing … one has written “Quite recently the British Admiralty has paid me two very gratifying compliments in the publication of their Fijian charts: following certain information given in my last book” … nice work.

Henderson on Williams essential Fiji – Nice copies with author inscription.

$120.00

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Fiji and The Fijians (1835-1856) – G.C. Henderson

A first edition on Henderson’s book on Fiji and the Fijians a volume published to elucidate the Journal of Rev Thomas Williams who has spent the period !840-1853 as a Missionary in Fiji. Williams being regraded as the principal authority on the state if society among Fijians when European first came upon them.

Published by Angus and Robertson, Sydney in 1931.

Large octavo, 33 pages nicely illustrated throughout with images from early engravings, early photographs and charts. Very good condition and with the author’s “Compliments”’ stamp on the end paper ad his manuscript note “To dear old Jeff – from the Author”

A very useful Preface sets the scene and purpose for the book. The first chapter proper refers to the “Mitchellian Manuscripts” the Williams Journal and paper held at the Mitchell … and other primary materials held elsewhere including in the UK. Very good chapters on the Discovery of Fiji … the Duff, James cook and often overlooked Bellingshausen among them. The Bellingshausen journals had yet to be translated to English at the date of this book. The work then moves on to a description of the archipelago, centres of interest and the people. Mission work, medical practices and a chapter on Ono-I-Lau first visited by Calvert. Language and literature etc etc.

Well written account regarding an important historical period. A very good copy.

$120.00

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The Islands of the Pacific – from Old to New – James Alexander – First Edtion 1895

James Alexander was the son of Hawaiian missionary William P Alexander. Published by the American Tract Society, New York in 1895. A substantial work, octavo 503 pages and appendices. Illustrated throughout with nice pictorial covers in good condition.

After three chapters of general introduction there are discrete chapters on The Society Islands, Austral Islands; Peal Islands; Hawaiian Islands; The Marquesas; Harvey Islands; Samoa; Micronesia; Tonga; New Zealand; Fiji; Melanesia; Pitcairn and Norfolk. An interesting chapter in retrospect on the “Future of the Pacific Ocean”.

The appendices provide good information on the Ancient Polynesians, Languages, European Appropriations and a list of active Missionaries and where they were. The seventy illustrations include simple but useful maps, and images form early photographs albeit sometimes posed.

Alexander covers some ground … and some ocean … in this well structured book.

$60.00

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A Reply to the Objections of Robert Nelson Esq and an Anonymous Author – Dr Samuel Clarke – 1714

Full title continues … “against Dr Clarke’s Scripture Doctrine of the Trinity. Being a Commentary upon Forty Select Texts of Scripture. To which is added, An Answer to the Remarks of the Author of, Some Considerations concerning the Trinity, and the Ways of Managing the Controversy”.

Original panelled calf binding, raised bands to spine with six compartments, red leather title label. Binding aged and hinges cracked but holding well on strong cords. Despite deficiencies a delightful antiquarian patina. Octavo, 311 pages after preliminaries plus book advertisements and “index of the texts explained in this book”. First page is title so likely missing front end paper. Internally some ageing and staining to pages but overall very good condition for its age.

Printed for James Knapton, at the Crown in St Paul’s Church Yard 1714.

A more important historical work than immediately apparent. Samuel Clarke (1675 – 1729) was the major British figure in philosophy between John Locke and George Berkley. Born in Norwich he went to Caius College, Cambridge where his tutor was John Ellis a personal friend of Isaac Newton. Clarke adopted the new physical system of Newton and in 1697 published a book on the superiority of the Newtonian system. Taking holy orders Clarke moved rapidly up the hierarchy and by 1709 he was Rector of St James, Westminster and Chaplain in Ordinary to Queen Anne. At this time, he became in personal contact with Isaac Newton. Just before this period he presented the Boyle Lectures where he presented examples of a physico-theological system. That is that God is self-existent, infinite, omnipresent, having existed from eternity …

In 1712 Clarke published his treatise “The Scripture Doctrine of the Trinity” it was controversial and he was cautioned not to publish … he ignored this advice. There were complaints from the Lower House of Convocation and the Blasphemy Act was threatened and those that published against him included Robert Nelson (1656 – 1715) mentioned strongly in the title to this work and Francis Gastrell who was the “Anonymous Author” also referred to in a robust defence.

Clarke a controversial intellectual with personal influence from Isaac Newton, Boyle Lecturer and Chaplain to Queen Anne – 1714

$170.00

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The Great Pyramid Witness and Near Eastern Nations in the Light of Christ’s Second Coming – Rev Lamb (Sydney) 1928

A rather special soft covered second edition of Rev lamb’s book on the second coming and the link to the Great Pyramid of Giza. Self-published in Sydney in 1928.

Lamb a rather eccentric Reverend with a keen eye for Marketing. His list of five titles could be got at the discounted price of 7/6 if the money was sent directly. His first edition was sold out and given that the second coming would have severe personal consequences it was essential that this book was purchased if you missed the first printing!

His forward is direct “This book, over which I have earnestly prayed for many days, is now finished. Its message, as in everything else I have previously written, is to convince all who read it that the coming of God’s Son to this world is now right at hand. The intention all through its pages is to make its every reader feel that their chief business now should be that they “May be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man” … I shall now pray every day that its mission may in this way be fully realised”

Lamb, not too keen on this modern theory of Evolution, correctly points out how clever the early Egyptian were any Greek civilisation having been founded on Egyptian intelligent. The destruction of the great library at Alexandria still stands as the worst act of vandalism against culture. The books kept the fires in the bakeries and hot baths etc. going for many months. His references to the Pyramids and the Great pyramid of Giza are a very special account. He recounts the scale, accuracy and quality of construction which is always bewildering to read, how was it really done? And the alignment with the stars. Early views of Sir John Herschel and then, Voyager favourite Piazzi Smyth who calculated the date of construction as 2,170 BC given the backward calculation of the position of Draconis, the Pole Star, being directly aligned with the extraordinary passage at midnight that year. This vent will happen 25,817 years later when the stars will be similarly aligned.

The book contains more than this of course and his view of the likely consequences of the rise in fascism throughout the world … well we all know what happened.

$30.00

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The Hand its Mechanism and Vital Endowments as Evincing Design – Sir Charles Bell – 1833

The Journals of Thomas Williams Missionary in Fiji 1840-1853 – 2 Vols – G.C. Henderson – First Editions1931

Fiji and The Fijians (1835-1856) – G.C. Henderson

The Islands of the Pacific – from Old to New – James Alexander – First Edtion 1895

A Reply to the Objections of Robert Nelson Esq and an Anonymous Author – Dr Samuel Clarke – 1714

The Great Pyramid Witness and Near Eastern Nations in the Light of Christ’s Second Coming – Rev Lamb (Sydney) 1928

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