Exceptionally rare: a special pre-publication issue of Macarthur's New South Wales; its Present State and Future Prospects.

Exceptionally rare: a special pre-publication issue of Macarthur's New South Wales; its Present State and Future Prospects.

This prime association copy bears the bookplate of Sir William Molesworth, chairman of the historic Select Committee on Transportation of 1837, to which Macarthur gave evidence. Apparently this advance issue was produced for the members of the committee. This copy was subsequently in the Bonython collection.

Although attributed to James Macarthur, the fourth son of John Macarthur, only the Preface and the chapter on voluntary emigration were actually written by him. The remainder of the book was written at Macarthur's instruction by Edward Edwards, who was largely responsible for the development of the public library system in Great Britain; and who was paid eighty pounds for the work. It includes chapters on colonial policy, transportation, the administration of justice and local government, jury law, education and religious instruction, and the general resources of the colony and of its future prospects. The appendices include the petitions and official papers in support.

The collation of this special copy varies from the final published form: it consists of the appendices, but does not include the final three leaves of additional statistics, and with the "List of Appendix", five leaves, moved from the beginning to the end, slightly altered and printed on lighter paper. Pages 103-106 are also on this lighter paper and without the press signature present in the complete work, and the printer's colophon now appears on page 313.