Travel & Voyages

The Sea Lark – Thomas Helm – First Edition 1957

A first edition published by George Harrap, London in 1957. Octavo, 222 pages, with end paper maps and illustrations from photographs taken during the voyages. Still has the scarce dust jacket albeit a bit chipped and repaired to top of spine. Otherwise a pretty good clean copy.

Helm, ex US navy, set off with his mate, Ed Booth into the Caribbean and Central America in the 47 foot schooner Sea Lark. Adventures ensue and not just at sea hence the image of a jaguar on a sailing book.

Written in a an usual story telling style … makes it quiet a treat.

Caribbean sailing Adventures with variety

$25.00

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Decorative Printed Maps of the 15th to 18th Centuries – R.A. Skelton FSA

A very good book of decorative cartography by the much admired Skelton.

Quarto, 79 pages plus 84 full page plates of maps some in colour. Published by Spring Books, London in 1966. This is a re-issue of a work originally published in 1952 with a re-worked text and improvements in the plates.

A super book for someone building their understanding of the development of the map and the pure beauty behind the trade. Takes the accepted progression .. Ptolemy; woodcut maps; Italian line-engravers; the Dutch; the beginning of the English Regional Map; Dutch and German development; French emergence; the English again during the period to Thomas Jeffreys.

Skelton on Decorative Maps – Essential well rounded.

$50.00

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Maps and Map-Makers – R.V. Tooley

Tooley the greatest 20th century name in maps who was not a map-maker. The author of many works on cartography and the standard reference point on many topics. This is his perennial book on the broader subject. Great cross referencing to sources and plentiful illustrations.

A third impression published by Batsford, London in 1961. Small quarto, 140 pages, highly detailed and with many illustrations, some colour. A very good copy in an excellent dust jacket.

From the library of Australian cartographic expert Thomas M Perry with his signature on the front free endpaper.

If it’s maps it’s Tooley!

$40.00

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Red Peak – Ascent of Pik Kommunizma

An unusual mountaineering event form start to finish written by the expedition second Malcolm Slesser seemingly without the authority of leader Sir John Hunt.

First American Edition, published by Coward McCann, New York in 1964. Octavo, 256 pages well illustrated from expedition photographs, charts , diagrams etc. A little ageing but still a very good copy.

The first British / Soviet joint expedition to climb in the Soviet Asia Pamir Mountains. And a venture not without drama. No native porters were taken. Things got tense between the groups, two Englishmen died during the ascent of a particularly rugged stage. Hunt and several others gave up and went home. Slesser elected to stay … the frankness with which he describes the flare-ups as they struggled to reach the 25,000 foot peak adds to the drama of this unique climb

Slesser writes frankly about the first British / Soviet joint mountaineering expedition.

$25.00

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Queensland Branch of the Royal Geographical Society – Proceedings 1887 – Interesting Papuan Expedition, Queensland Mountains etc

Vol II part 2 of the 1886-8 Proceedings and Transactions of the Society. Extremely scarce.

Octavo. Printed paper wrappers as issued pages 76-126 after preliminaries, notices etc. Interesting to see Tenison-Woods in attendance at the Meeting. Printed by Watson, Ferguson $ Co of Queens Street, Brisbane. Still surviving Watson Ferguson commenced in 1871 and are Queensland oldest printing business.

A few edge chips and a reference label top front left otherwise very good condition

The journal contains some interesting reports including C.T. Bedford surveying trip from Boulia to the South Australian Border, the Mountains of Queensland by N. Bartley (author of Opals and Agates and his Reminiscences).

The highlight though is the Journal of Mr George Hunter on an Expedition from Kappa Kappa to the Heads of the Kemp Welch River, British New Guinea with a good folding map illustration the journey. Anyone who has been to this part of Papua will remember the beautiful beaches around the Kappa Kappa area.

Early Queensland Geographical Society Publication – Interesting Explorations and Observations on the People of Papua and the Kappa Kappa / Rigo Region

$90.00

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Journals of Expeditions into Central Australia and Overland from Adelaide to King George’s Sound in the years 1840-1 in 2 Volumes – John Eyre

Fundamental Australian overland exploration.

Published by the Libraries Board of South Australia 1964. Facsimile reprint of the 1845 edition – Australiana Facsimile number 7 – only 500 copes printed.

two volumes thick octavo, xviii, 448, 512 pages light brown/ caramel colour with gilt lettering. Two folding maps in pocket at rear. One map of the whole of Australia demonstrating all of Eyre’s wanderings including earlier expeditions east into New South wales. The large folding map relating to this expedition is close to a metre wide so we have scanned it in three sections and still did not quite get the depth in … it really is special and makes the understanding of the narrative very clear. Very good and maps in great condition.

Eyre attempted to set up an overland route from Adelaide to the Swan River. After great hardships, with his second on charge being killed by Aborigines, and losing some of the supplies, the party arrived at Albany in 1841.

Heavy books so our postage allowance will not cover a single item Overseas purchase.

Eyre’s Travels Across Australia … required reading for any Australia(n) Historian

$120.00

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The Sea Lark – Thomas Helm – First Edition 1957

Decorative Printed Maps of the 15th to 18th Centuries – R.A. Skelton FSA

Maps and Map-Makers – R.V. Tooley

Red Peak – Ascent of Pik Kommunizma

Queensland Branch of the Royal Geographical Society – Proceedings 1887 – Interesting Papuan Expedition, Queensland Mountains etc

Journals of Expeditions into Central Australia and Overland from Adelaide to King George’s Sound in the years 1840-1 in 2 Volumes – John Eyre

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