Curiosities

Zebra – George Edwards – 1744

An original hand coloured copper engraving of a Zebra by the great George Edwards (1694-1773). Described as … “Drawn from a stuff’d skin in the Royal College of Physicians, London”

A rare and collectable engraving.

George Edwards (1694-1773) was born in Essex, and after schooling went to London where he had access to a large scientific library. At the age of 20 he decided to travel studying natural history and he did this for quite a few years and developed a great a talent for illustration. In 1733 he settled down and was chosen as the Librarian to the Royal College of Physicians. He knew Linnaeus and Catesby (who produced a great work on American birds). Edwards work is dominated by birds which he became particularly famous for.

This Zebra was published as part of a broader work on Natural History in 1744 and as we can surmise arose specifically from his role at the Royal College of Physicians.

Framed in Voyager Natural History style in cream mat with black core and soft (reddish) gilt frame … beautiful ready to hang.

Very early image from distinguished engraver.

$290.00

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Map of Ningbo Zhejiang China – Bellin after Thornton -1746

An original copper engraved map titled “Carte de l’Isle de Che-chan ou Isle de Chusan de la Province de Che-kiang avec les Costes et Isles voisines”. Engraved by J van Schley for Jaques Nicolas Bellin Cartographer to the French Navy. It was published in Paris in 1746 as part of Prevost’s History of Voyages. The underlying charting ahd been completed by the Englishman Thornton.

The great city of Ningbo near Shanghai is seen just off the map at the top named them Ning-po .. with a note that it is known by Europeans as Liampo. The Che Kian Province now known as Zhejiang.

The map is 32cm by 21 cm to the border of the printed image. Folds as original. In pretty good condition with nice colouring and a nice compass rose. Now a very busy harbour its interesting to see so many depth measurements marked.

Price $120.00 unframed

Interesting chart of the coastal area around Ningbo

$120.00

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Ghost Towns of Australia – George Farwell

Published by Rigby, Adelaide in 1965. Octavo, 247 pages with plates and map end papers. Minor ageing with relevant article glued in at end. A Very good copy.

Australia has its fair share of towns no longer up to their former glory … indeed many completely gone. That is the nature of pioneering existence whether mineral or agricultural or some other purpose.

Interesting images of once glorious places

$30.00

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The Island Builders of the Pacific – Walter Ivens – First Edition 1930 – Prestigious Ownership Scarce Dust Jacket

Published by Seeley, London a first edition 1930 in very good condition with full dust jacket. Prestigious relevant ownership.

Title continues … “How and Why the People of Mala Construct their Artificial Islands, the Antiquity and Doubtful Origin of the Practice, with a Description of the Social Organization, Magic and Religion of their Inhabitants”

The author Walter G. Ivens, at the time, was a Research Fellow of the University of Melbourne and had already authored several respected anthropological works. Very good condition and very rare to find it in its dust jacket.

Thick octavo, 317 pages, 18 illustrations from photographs, three maps of which two are folding and one most interesting sketch map of Mala.

The book covers; North Mala; the Artificial Islands; Social Organisation; Marriage, Women and Children; Ghosts; Priests and Sacrifices; Sharks and Crocodiles; Porpoise and Turtle Hunting; War and Fighting; Burials, Death-feasts and Panpipes; Magic, Divination, Omens, Signs and Dreams; Ceremonies, Tabu, Restrictions and Curses; The North-East lagoon and its People; Gardens and House Building; The People of Morodo; Folk-lore and The Cultures of North Mala.

Ownership stamp of esteemed anthropologist Harold W Scheffler (1932-2015) at Yale and his name written and dated 1960 when he would have been completing his PhD at Chicago where he was a Fullbright scholar. During that period he conducted 18 months field work on the island of Choiseul in the Solomons so this book may have been with him. He joined the Yale faculty in 1963 and his principle research continued in the Solomon Islands and also Vanuatu and among the aboriginal people of Australia focusing on kinship and social organisation. He published many papers in this field. The book has many careful and tidy pencil annotations which could be removed but we have not as we believe it greatly adds to the interest of this copy.

Scarce interesting prestigious owner

$160.00

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The Strand Magazine – with an Arthur Conan Doyle First Publication – 1898

A complete volume of the Strand Magazine being January to June 1898 in very good condition in the original green leather binding with elaborate gilt design and titling to spine.

As would be expected many interesting period articles, stories and the likes .. one on Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) by Beatrice Hatch is rather special.

The “piece that cannot be resisted” is a first publication of the short story by Arthur Conan Doyle … “The Story of the Beetle-Hunter” which was later published in a collection of short stories “Round the Fire” in 1908. The story, which runs to ten pages, contains eight illustrations by Archibald S Hattrick (1864-1950).

Conan Doyle First and More in Very Good Condition.

$140.00

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Unique Work English Literature – The Prose of Christina Rossetti – Lynda Palazzo – Original PhD Thesis Durham University1992

A high quality PhD thesis the author gaining a doctorate from Durham University. A unique work on the prose of Christina Rossetti more remembered for her beautiful poetry. Rossetti’s nine works are explored to a depth unseen elsewhere and Palazzo also presents here unpublished work – “notes on Genesis” with permission of descendant Joan Rossetti and a manuscript page from “Treasure Trove” permission of the Fitzwilliam Museum. Typed one sided 168 pages of A4 hardbound with blue cloth covers gilt titling to front and spine. Fine condition unmarked. Beautifully written superbly structured and full references.

The author Lynda Carol Palazzo went to Kings School Macclesfield before entry to the prestigious University of Durham. This Thesis led to her published work ten year later in 2002 the highly regarded “Christina Rossetti’s Feminist Theology”.

A Unique work for lovers of 19th Century English Literature

About Christina Rossetti

Christina Rossetti (1830-1894) sister of Pre-Raphaelite Dante Gabriel Rossetti (for whom she sat in a number of his greatest works including “The Girlhood of Mary Virgin”. She published her first work at the age of eighteen – on the death of Elizabeth Barrett Browning she was hailed as the natural successor as female laureate. She was a strong minded Victorian woman opposed to war, slavery, cruelty to animals, the exploitation of girls in under age prostitution. Sadly in later life she suffered from Graves disease and later developed and died of breast cancer – she is buried in Highgate. Her poem “In the Bleak Midwinter” became Voyager’s favourite Christmas Carol.

$80.00

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Zebra – George Edwards – 1744

Map of Ningbo Zhejiang China – Bellin after Thornton -1746

Ghost Towns of Australia – George Farwell

The Island Builders of the Pacific – Walter Ivens – First Edition 1930 – Prestigious Ownership Scarce Dust Jacket

The Strand Magazine – with an Arthur Conan Doyle First Publication – 1898

Unique Work English Literature – The Prose of Christina Rossetti – Lynda Palazzo – Original PhD Thesis Durham University1992

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