Highlights

Amsterdam : Jan Jansz, 1647. First edition. The first full account of the wreck of the Batavia; the first European images of Australia; ‘an especially outstanding rarity’ (Wantrup). The earliest procurable book on Australia. The first printed views of Australia. The first published description of the kangaroo.

TSUKIOKA YOSHITOSHI (Edo 1839- Ryōgoku 1892) “UESUGI KENSHIN NYUDO TERUTORA” [UESUGI NO TERUTORA RIDING INTO BATTLE] 1883 Woodblock printed in colours DESCRIPTION: From the series “Yoshitoshi Musha Burui” (Yoshitoshi’s Courageous Warriors). Fantastic portrait of Kenshin, seen riding nobly into battle on horseback, surrounded by billowing plumes of smoke. NOTE: Signature: Taiso Yoshitoshi ga. Publisher: Kobayashi Tetsujiro. First edition: Three-colour cartouche; Two red seals and publisher address in blue at bottom left.

Sydney : Compiled and Printed by G. Howe, Government Printer, [1813]. One of the earliest books printed in Australia: the first New South Wales Pocket Almanack, compiled and printed by the first government printer, George Howe. As noted by Wantrup, 'about the earliest Australian printed book still available' (Joachim catalogue, 2016).

Edward (or Ned) Cyril Bowden-Smith, nephew by a younger brother to Sir Nathaniel Bowden-Smith, the Commander in Chief of the Australia Station (1892-94), made a trip from the UK to Adelaide in 1896-7 on the Clipper Torrens, returning on the Royal Mail Ship Oroya. The Torrens is notable as the last sailing ship on which Joseph Conrad served before he began his writing career. Bowden-Smith’s trip formed the basis of his short book Land Ho! The Last of Her Race which was published in 1931.

Rare Judaica by the Sephardi rabbi and Freemason Solomon Mordecai Ximenes; Containing, The Birth of Jacob, his Dream of the Ladder, his Commandments, and his several prophetic Blessings to his Posterity; and various future Events promised by the Prophets.

London : John Murray, 1859. First edition. An entirely unrestored, crisp and sharp copy of one of the most significant publications in the history of humanity. Freeman, 373 “the most important biological work ever written.” Dibner, 199 "the most important single work in science.”

Boston, Massachusetts : Railway Steam Printing Works, 1869. Clipper card, 165 x 105 mm, lithograph-printed recto only in carmine, azure, and gold on white enamel card; at the head is a vignette illustration with a New Zealand scene, flanked by the United States and British coats of arms, and with the names of the shipping agents Neal & Crowninshield and ship owners Australasian Packet Line above and below; fine condition. Scarce and attractive clipper card advertising a sailing of the Witch, an Australasian Packet Line ship, from Boston to Sydney in October 1869.

Gift Book edition: quarto; hardcover, full red cloth with gilt spine and upper board titles and decorations and decorative endpapers; 326pp., top edges dyed red, with a tipped-in colour frontispiece (with tissue guard), 39 plates likewise and many other monochrome illustrations. Moderate wear; somewhat cocked and a little rolled; lower hinge cracked (but strong); boards somewhat bowed with some mild rubbing and minor insect damage; text block edges toned; mild offset to the endpapers; very light scattered foxing to the preliminaries. No dustwrapper. Very good.

London, Hodder and Stoughton, [1933]. Duodecimo, neat contemporary inscription on rear free endpaper, very good in original gilt-lettered and decorated crimson boards with pictorial dustwrapper (minor foxing), marbled endpapers. First separate edition. McIlvaine, A49a. Charming small format edition (with dustwrapper in uncommonly good condition) of the quintessential Jeeves & Bertie story: '"Well, all I can say," he cried, "is that it's a bit thick! Preaching another man's sermon! Do you call that honest? Do you call that playing the game?"'

MAUGHAM, W.S. The Razor's Edge Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Doran & Co., 1944. Limited Edition. Octavo : pp. [viii] 343 [3] (blank) : SIGNED : No. 308 of 750 copies : publisher's cloth over bevelled boards, black and gilt title panel to spine. Tip of pp. 145-148 creased. Near fine. Item #15546 “The fact that a great many people believe something is no guarantee of its truth.” — Maugham. This limited, signed edition preceded both the American and English trade editions. A bright copy of Maugham's masterpiece of human desire, ambition and success.

First edition: octavo; hardcover, full cloth with gilt spine titles; 253pp. Author’s signature in ink to the title page. Mild wear; spine extremities lightly softened; some light corner-bumping; text block edges toned and top edge mildly dusted; light offset and old tape stains to the endpapers; retailer’s bookplate to the front pastedown; very light spotting to the preliminaries. Price-clipped dustwrapper is a bit rubbed and edgeworn with some minor marks; spine lightly sunned; some light offset and creasing to the flaps. Very good.

ROBERTO MATTA (Santiago 1911- Civitavecchia 2002) Chilean artist “NYMPHEE”, 1979 ETCHING & AQUATINT PRINTED IN COLOUR DESCRIPTION: "Nymphee" is a colourful Roberto Matta large etching from his portfolio “Requiem pour la Fin des Temps”. Signed and numbered in pencil with the publisher blind-stamps “George Visat” lower right and “Galleria dell’Incisione Milano” lower left. NOTE: Etching and Aquatint printed in colours on "ARCHES" wove paper. Signed in pencil by the artist. Numbered 58/100 lower left; limited edition of 100. SIZE: 420mm(H) x 320mm(L) [plate] 648mm(H) x 495mm(L) [sheet]

Rare early c.20th map showing the route taken by the South Magnetic Pole Party in Shackleton’s British Antarctic Expedition

WHITE, Paul William The Art of Brian Dunlop Frenchs Forest: The Craftsman’s Press, 1984. First Edition. Oblong hardcover in matching slipcase : 144pp : Numbered and signed by Brian Dunlop at limitation page : SIGNED & NUMBERED ETCHING : number 14 of 200 copies. The title on the spine has small patches of loss. Near fine. Brian Dunlop (1938-2009) was an Australian realist painter. His work is held in every state gallery in Australia as well as the National Portrait Gallery. He won the Sulman Prize in 1980 for The Old Physics Building which is reproduced in this compilation.

Cooper’s Bellevue Hill-Bondi Estate 3rd. Subdivision Sat. 15th. March 1919 at 3p.m.

Monumental work of herbal medicine by the English herbalist and botanist John Parkinson (1567-1650) in which over 3,800 plants are described and illustrated by approximately 2,600 woodcut illustrations. Theatrum Botanicum was a standard reference for apothecaries for over a century after it was published.

Possibly the first sapphic novel written by a woman, over a century before Radclyffe Hall’s The Well of Loneliness. The vivid depiction of lesbian love lends to the warning on the title page, “La mere en defendra la lecture a sa fille” [The mother will forbid her daughter to read it], and led to the novel’s censure in 1825 and on the ruling of obscenity and its order of destruction in 1827

Considered one of the scarcest books in all of psychoactive drug literature and one of the most important on opiate addiction, predicting the development of synthetic opioids by some 35 years.

Korea : mid eighteenth century. Folio, 315 x 180 mm, original wrappers with manuscript title, twelve double page manuscript maps in colour. The Ch'onha chido (Atlas of the World) circulated widely in manuscript format in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, as well as some rare woodcut editions. The maps would typically feature a world map, or Chonha-Do, based on Buddhist maps, with the others of Korea, China and Japan based on those made during the Ming Dynasty in China (1368-1644).

DEBORD, G. E.[Guy] Rapport; sur la construction des situations et sur les conditions de l'orginisation et de l'action de la tendance situanniste internationale n.d. [1957]. First Edition. Stapled pamphlet in red cover : 20pp.(French) : slight bleed of printed ink through wraps. The foundation text of the Situationniste Internationale.

Augspurg [i.e. Augsburg] : bey Chrysostomo Dabertzhofer, 1611. Rare first German edition of the Memorial octavo of the explorer Fernández de Quirós, a report relating the discovery of the southern continent or "Terra Australis Incognita".

First edition, thus: octavo; hardcover, full buckram cloth with gilt spine rules and titles and upper board decoration, and marbled endpapers; 1,195pp., all edges marbled, with red titles to the title page, another instance of red Elvish text, and two red-embellished maps, one of “A Part of the Shire” and a folding chart of Middle Earth, along with some alphabetical tables and genealogical charts. Minor wear; some buckling to the early pages, as per usual with this stock; some dog-eared pages. No dust wrapper as issued. Near fine in a slightly rubbed slipcase.

Glen Ellen, California: 1908. Double space typed manuscript : ribbon copy on paper watermarked "Saxon Bond" : 13pp. : Jack London's name, address and word count (6233 words) typed at the top of first page : several pencil corrections and revisions apparently in London's hand (21 words) : the setting copy with editorial corrections, printer's marking in pencil and "Hampton's Magazine" stamped to head of each page : p. 5 cut in two between lines of text and then pinned together : a strip of brown paper (section of a wrapper?) with "Mauki by Jack London. 6,000 words" in his hand.

HENRI MATISSE [after] (Le Cateau-Cambrésis 1869- Nice 1954) “LE CHEVAL, L’ECUYÈRE ET LE CLOWN” “ICARE” “L’AVALEUR DE SABRES” 1947 LITHOGRAPHY DESCRIPTION: “The Horse, The Rider and The Clown”; “Icarus”; “Sword Swallower”; Advertising for the series “JAZZ”. Three lithography on two sheets with text at verso. Supplementary publication for the magazine “JOUR DE FRANCE” to advertise the publication of the illustrated book “Jazz” by Henry Matisse. Printed by Tériade in Paris, 1947. SIZE: 315mm(H) x 490mm(L) [both sheets]

GIOVANNI BATTISTA PIRANESI (Mogliano Veneto 1720-Roma 1778) Italian school. "LA TOMBA DI NERONE" [THE TOMB OF NERO] c.1750 [c.1807 Paris edition] TECHNIQUE: Etching, Burin, Drypoint & Burnishing DESCRIPTION: "The Tomb of Nero", from the series called “I GROTTESCHI” (Grotesques). In 1750 Piranesi collected in a miscellaneous volume published at the expense of the editor Giovanni Bouchard a collection of the works engraved by him up to that moment, some already published, others unpublished. The volume was published with the title serie"Opere Varie di Architettura Prospettive Grotteschi Antic...

Melbourne, Realist Printing and Publishing Co., 1950. Octavo, illustrations, name & date (August 1950) on front paste-down, original brick red cloth lettered in black on spine with Ambrose Dyson dustwrapper (bit chipped). First edition. With loosely inserted contemporary (folded foolscap folio) processed typescript key to the characters. While the first edition had an unusually large print run, the dustwrapper – especially in good state – is uncommon. Cains, 64.

POMERAND, Gabriel Antonio hors de galaxie Paris: Jacques Loyau, 1954. First Edition. Softcover : 64pp. (unpaginated) : photographic cover : silent spine : two line drawings by Cocteau : 6 tipped in photographic prints. One of 100 copies. Gabriel Pomerand (c. 1926–1972) was a French poet, artist and a co-founder of lettrism. "Pomerand was the mouthpiece of the movement...He organized scandalous public lectures, gave reputedly remarkable performances of sound poetry, painted oils, and made an award-winning short movie. This consideration of the avant garde dancer Antonio is scarce.

"I CARMI DI CATULLO" - FILIPPO DE PISIS Scelti e nuovamente tradotti in versi da Vincenzo Errante e decorati con litografie da Filippo De Pisis. Verona, Officina Bodoni/Milano, Ulrico Hoepli, 1945. Small folio (38.8 x 28.5cm); 170 unnumbered pages, printed on Fabriano handmade paper with uncut margins. With 17 original lithographs by Filippo De Pisis, 14 of which are full-page, tipped-in, and the others in the text. Bound in half canvas with a title tag on the spine and pink Ingres paper quadrants, canvas cardboard slipcase. Edition of 150; The copy presented here bears the number 135.

KIKUKAWA EIZAN (1787-1867) “BEAUTY WITH UMBRELLA" c.1830 Woodblock printed in colours DESCRIPTION: Kakemono-e (2 oban prints assembled vertically), depicting a Bijin walking with her umbrella in her kimono. Signed at right. Rare. NOTE: Original woodblocks printed in colours on rice paper. Kakemono-e (two oban assembled vertically). Rare. SIZE: 755mm(H) x 245mm(L) CONDITION: Very good impression. Paper slightly yellowed homogeneously, due to exposition to light (always the case with highly decorative kakemono-e format). Colours slightly faded. Otherwise in very good condition.

Rare, very large scale c.20th detailed cased map by H.E.C. Robinson showing Sydney and suburbs railways and tramways.

Second state of van Loon’s famous, rare double hemisphere map of the world first printed in Amsterdam 1666, issued with the additions of the dedication to Charles II and his coat-of-arms for Moses Pitt’s English Atlas.

The first, and widely considered the best, illustrated edition of Baudelaire's The Flowers of Evil, being the chef d’oeuvre of Belgian artist Armand Rassenfosse. This copy from the collection of Barry Humphries in a fine signed binding.

An aristocratic libertine becomes obsessed with a beautiful woman and sets about seducing her. Alas, his conquest uncovers a hidden lesbian relationship and he finds himself entangled in web of erotic obsession and fatal jealousy. The first edition with illustrations by Almery Lobel-Riche. One of 40 numbered copies on Japanese paper with the etchings in 3 states and an original drawing.

Quarto; hardcover, full cloth with gilt spine and upper board titles and decorations, and decorative endpapers; unpaginated, on thick laid paper, with a tipped-in colour frontispiece (with tissue guard), 27 plates likewise, a decorated title page and many other monochrome decorations and illustrations. Moderate wear; a bit shaken; spine cracked; spine a little sunned; text block edges toned and top edge a bit dusted; mild offset to the endpapers; previous owner’s bookplate to the front pastedown; light scattered foxing throughout, mainly to the preliminaries. No dustwrapper. Very good.

REMBRANDT HARMENSZOON VAN RIJN (Leyden 1606-Amsterdam1669) Dutch school “THE FLUTE-PLAYER” (HET UYLENSPIEGELTJE) 1642 Etching and drypoint DESCRIPTION: A young couple resting beside a stream, the man playing flute with an owl perched on his shoulder, the girl making a flower garland at left. Shepherds do more than their fair share of walking, but their lives also provide ample opportunity for relaxation. It represents an amorous situation and Rembrandt played... NOTE: Fourth state of four, without the face among the branches. Barstch 188, Hollstein Dutch 144,New Hollstein 211.

Magnificent 2m wide hydrographic wall chart of the sea routes for the eastern trade.

Nuremberg : Anton Koberger, for Sebald Schreyer and Sebastian Kammermeister, 12 July 1493. First edition, in Latin. The most substantial of all printed incunables and ‘the largest printing enterprise of the entire incunable period’ (Posselt).

Large scale c.18th hand coloured engraved chart of Australia and the Pacific, by the French royal cartographer, Nicholas Bellin (1703-1772).

Very rare elephant folio size lithograph, the largest made of the Eastern Grey Kangaroo.

The story of a young married woman’s affair with a teenage boy while her husband is away fighting in WWI. The first edition with erotic illustrations by Becat, and with an introduction by Jean Cocteau. The superlative issue, one of 16 numbered copies on Japanese paper with an original signed drawing in pencil and white gouache, with the composition then hand coloured and signed by Becat, the 16 illustrations by Becat hand coloured by Jean and Paulette Monnier, followed by a suite containing the illustrations in black in two states.

Scarce large scale detailed map of Sydney tramway lines. McCarron Stewart & Co, continually updated this map, ours includes the Woolloomooloo Line

ALVAREZ, A. ; Blackman, Charles Apparition St. Lucia: University of Queensland Press, 1971. Limited Edition. Hardcover 36 x 26cm : pp. [9] 50 [52] : 7 full page full colour tipped in plates : warm yellow e.p.s : polished calf with gilt line drawing after Blackman : scarce glassine wrapper with spiderweb pattern : slipcase : SIGNED by Blackman and Alvarez at the limitation page. The de luxe edition with manuscript copies of the poems and seven full colour plates after the gouache paintings of Blackman. The cobweb patterned wrapper is littered with flies and one very plump spider.

[STEELE RUDD] DAVIS, Arthur Hoey. Original Signed Manuscript of "The Letter Under the Mirror". n.d. [c.1927]. Original autograph manuscript : 24 leaves : black ink on rectos only : 276 edits : signed "Steele Rudd" on p.24 : vertical note in another hand and initialed " W. H." at the left margin of the first leaf. Near fine. Although this manuscript is undated, a version of this story first appeared in The Brisbane Courier on Saturday 10th September 1927 under the title, "Grey-green Homestead".

First edition of Oscar Wilde's classic, one of 600 copies, the title page device by Felicien Rops. MASON 348. This copy in a fine signed art nouveau binding by Hatchards.

LIONEL ARTHUR LINDSAY (Creswick 17-10-1874/Hornsby 22-5-1961) ”GOAT AND RHODODENDRON" c.1933 Wood Engraving DESCRIPTION: A profile of a goat in bust, looking toward left between rhododendron flowers. One of Lionel Lindsay's most well-known and sought after wood engravings. This is considered to be one of Lindsay’s most renowned wood engravings for technical execution. Last of Lindsay's goat subjects and most highly stylised. NOTE: Signed in pencil lower left. Numbered 100 lower right (edition of 100). Mendelssohn p.154. CONDITION: Excellent impression printed on thick ivory wove paper, mounted

LONDON, Jack. Call of the Wild. New York: Published for the Review of Reviews Company by the Macmillan Company, 1913 : bookplate of A.R. and M.M. Goodman : INSCRIBED BY JACK LONDON TO DR. GOODMAN on the recto of the f.f.e.p. Fine. Dr Goodman, a northern Californian doctor, treated Jack London after his return from Mexico in 1914. The inscription reads, "Dear Doctor Goodman, It takes than you think to make me dopey - witness my shameless confession when we next meet, Jack London, July 10, 1914."

New York: Macmillan, 1905. First Edition, second printing. [PRESENTATION copy, INSCRIBED to one of the book's illustrators] Octavo : pp. [14] 15-182 [6] (publisher's advertisements) : illustrated by Henry Hutt and decorated by T.C. Lawrence : t.e.g. : green publisher's cloth lettered in red with vignette of shrouded Death snipping a thread : image repeated on scarce pictorial dust jacket in blue against orange and white background, lettering also in blue : inscribed by the author at the half title to "Henry Hutt, with grateful appreciation and hearty best wishes, Jack London, Glen Ellen...".

A masterpiece of modernist prose by a one time student of Aleister Crowley. In 1921 she spent time at Crowley’s Abbey of Thelema, not enjoying her stay, and departing with a drug habit. Armed with Madness explores the relationships (including homoeroticism and bisexuality) and ritualism among a group of young bohemians living at a country home. One of 100 numbered copies of the Deluxe Edition on handmade paper with illustrations by Jean Cocteau.

London : printed by Richard and John E. Taylor for the author, [1845] - 1863.  "It was not until I arrived in the country, and found myself surrounded by objects as strange as if I had been transported to another planet, that I conceived the idea of devoting a portion of my attention to the mammalian class of its extraordinary fauna" (the preface). "John Gould's three-volume folio of Australian mammals is one of the best of all Gould's folios and the most engaging of all colour plate Australian natural history books, with some of the finest depictions of mammals ever produced" (Wantrup 2023).