Highlights

No Imprint (Peking?) n.d. (early 20th century) Oblong. Rice paper, bound in the Asian style. 12 leaves of plates, each leaf with two delicate hand-coloured illustrations describing local businesses, so 24 hand-coloured illustrations in total. Fine and rare.

A rare example of a First Fleet convict letter. Manuscript letter in ink on laid paper, one page quarto, with a conjugate leaf with address panel and red wax seal; dated at ‘Newgate, 9th May 1787’, signed ‘Thos. Baker’, and addressed to ‘Right Honble. Lord Sydney, Secretary of State’; the letter is written in a fine hand, apparently by a scrivener on the prisoner’s behalf (see below); old folds, conjugate leaf with small marginal loss where the seal was broken; a very well preserved document.

Stockholm : Anders J. Nordström, 1783; Carl Deleen, 1802 – 1818. Octavo, three volumes, fine early nineteenth century Swedish half-calf over marbled boards, a fine set in early bindings from the period. The first edition of Sparrman’s account of Cook’s second voyage, a very rare complete set printed over a span of 35 years, including two samples of tapa cloth collected on the voyage in Tahiti and the Friendly Islands (Tonga).

Shows Chunder Loo of Akim Foo with his friends Koala Bear and Terrier Dog. Chunder is about to go diving off a boat with Koala putting the helmet on his head, and Terrier manning the air pumping device. Sydney. c.1916. Signed by Lionel Lindsay but undated. Mounted & framed. Image size 310x350mm. Overall size in frame 480x530cm. Scarce.

Together with an Excursion into the Interior of the Eastern part of Java. 2 volumes. Lond. T & W. Boone. 1847. Beautifully bound in half morocco with raised bands. xii,423,8;v,361,10pp. t.e.g. 19 engraved plates, 18 text figures & 2 fold-out charts, laid down on linen. The charts are of the Great Barrier Reef and the eastern end of the Island of Java. The edges of the plates, though not the pages, with sl.water-marking. The first British expedition to be despatched to Australia on a surveying mission. 1st ed. Very Scarce.

"KOALA BRUN" (Desm.) Mâle and his "SKELETON" 1842, Stipple Engravings JEAN-CHARLES WERNER (painted by) Superb and very detailed pair of copper/stipple engravings from Dumont d’Urville's "Voyage au pole Sud et dans l’Oceanie": A male Koala on profile with two detail sketches of his skull and his Skeleton depiction. Best depiction of Koala of that time. Attractive contemporary hand colours. Sold as a pair. Both in perfect condition.

A unique presentation album of Manly views, associated with the most significant public figure in the early colonial history of this Northern Beaches municipality, Charles Hayes (1841-1924). Elaborate watercolour decorations and views of Manly (harbour side) and Charles Hayes’ Manly residence; followed by 25 sepia-tone gelatin silver prints individually mounted on the rectos of leaves, each with floral border decoration in watercolour.

Reprinted from the Transactions of the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia, South Australian Branch, Vol.XVIII, Session 1916-1917. Adel. W.N.Thomas & Co., Printer. 1918. Or.wrapps. 295pp. b/w plates. Sl. foxing & small piece torn from back wrapper else a very good copy. 1st ed. Scarce. Together with the large folding map issued separately in the printed paper slip-case.

As it was read in the House of Commons, and attested under the hand of Phelps, Clerk to that Infamous Court. Taken by John Nalson, LLD. Jan 4, 1683. Lond. By H.C. for Thomas Dring. 1684. Sm.folio. Old full leather (rebacked) viii,70,ii,134,ipp. Engraved frontispiece plate, portrait of the King and a view of the interior of the court. Some browning else a Very Good copy. Scarce. Many marginal notes on the persons involved, the endpapers filled with relevant anecdotes and an index, all in contemporary or early 18th century hands. "The only day-to-day account we have of what went on."

A story of life and adventure in the bush and in the goldfields of Australia. Three volumes. Lond. Remington & Co.1888. Rebound in hf. calf with cloth sides. 300,300,291pp. The cloth sides sl.discoloured & a little foxing else a good set of the Rare 1st ed. of this classic of Australian literature.

A leaf of exceptional quality from an early fifteenth century Venetian Antiphonal. The extravagantly illuminated initial “I”, which includes a wolf’s head in the decoration, introduces the text “Ierusalem cito veni”, a Responsory at Matins for the Second Sunday in Advent.

The Key to the Shops Around the World. Shopping in each place is captured by a colourful full page illustration, along with details of routes and fares for trips on the NYK liners. Illustrated by American illustrator Daniel C. Sweeney (1880-1958)