Lisbon: Vicente Jorge de Castro, 1841.
Portuguese public servant's imaginary voyage to the interior
Three volumes bound in one, small octavo; some wear to the edges of the boards and a library reference at head of spine, an attractive copy in contemporary quarter calf. A rare Portuguese imaginary voyage to... More
Lisbon: Vicente Jorge de Castro; Sociedade Propagadora dos Conhecimentos Uteis, 1841.
The pernicious contagion of immorality
Three volumes bound in one, small octavo; in contemporary marbled sheep preserved in folding cloth case. A rare Portuguese imaginary voyage to Australia, not recorded by most of the commentators on the genre. In... More
Adelaide: Andrew Murray, 1849.
With map of the "Settled portions" and details of mines
Octavo, folding frontispiece map with outline colouring, xl, 220 pp., (including directory and advertisements), with a folding table of goods and prices bound in; in plain brown cloth (if not original certainly of the period). A... More
Antwerp: Christopher Plantin, 1558.
One of the great Renaissance travel books: the Southern Cross, Ethiopia & Prester John
Small octavo, printed in italic and roman letter, xxx, [2], 341 leaves numbered on rectos only, with a woodcut of the stars of the Southern Cross and six woodcut plans of Ethiopian... More
Kristiania: Jacob Dybwads Forlag, 1912.
The South Pole: in very fine condition
Two volumes, octavo; many photographic illustrations, eight maps at the end (three folding and one double-page); original pictorial cloth, in very fine condition. First edition in the original Norwegian; very scarce. a superb copy, with the pictorial bindings... More
London: John Stockdale, 1790.
An essential book for First Fleet collectors
Quarto, folding map; black half roan, with the bookplate of Henry White. An essential First Fleet book, widely considered the best guide to the establishment of a penal colony in New South Wales: 'an extremely interesting work and an... More
London: John Stockdale, 1787.
First Fleet sails for New South Wales
Octavo, with two folding handcoloured maps; bound in contemporary marbled boards (rebacked retaining original crimson label) from the Westport House library with Browne family armorial bookplate. Published on the eve of the departure of the First Fleet for New... More
London: John Stockdale, 1787.
First Fleet sails for New South Wales
Octavo, with two folding maps, finely hand coloured in outline, modern half calf, marbled boards. First edition. Published on the eve of the departure of the First Fleet for New South Wales, this sometimes neglected publication was the most... More
London: T. Nelson and Sons, 1882. Quarto, with 12 engravings and 2 charts; original gilt decorated cloth. Early anthology including voyages of Hansa, Germania & Tegethoff. More
Paris: circa 1822.
A timeless neoclassical depiction of the Caroline islands
Hand-coloured engraving, 240 x 320 mm (plate size). small paper repair at bottom margin else very good condition. A famous portrait of a man and woman of the Caroline islands, depicted in high neoclassical style. This engraving is derived... More
Madrid: Alonso Martin, 1609.
The "Spanish Hakluyt" Herrera's annotated copy of Argensola's classic work on the western Pacific
Small folio, pp. [12], 407 [i.e. 411]; eighteenth-century stiff parchment. A remarkable and very important association copy of this great book, heavily and critically annotated throughout by Argensola's contemporary and rival author... More
Antwerp: Christopher Plantin, 1571.
An unexplained proto-Australia: a single southern continent for the first time
Copper-engraved double-hemisphere world map, 335 x 545 mm.; mounted. A very rare sixteenth century map depicting an island roughly in the position of Australia. Montanus shows for the first time on a world map a.... More
Auckland: 2 April, 1856. Original parchment document measuring 337x372mm., with a plan of the property in coloured ink, blind stamp paper seal, etcetera; fine and folded to docket size. Original parchment land grant to John College, Auckland. The grant specifies that the college is entitled to 'the No. 2 Division... More
Sydney: Printed by H. Bull, Colonist Office, Sydney, September 1, 1836.
"Pipes &c to be conveyed by convict ship free of charge"
Four foolscap folded leaves, some wear, as usual, at folds. Scarce early prospectus, printed in Sydney, for "the lighting of this large, increasing, and opulent metropolis with Gas."... More
Sydney: Thomas Richards, Government Printer, 1885.
The most magnificent photographic record of early contact
Large square folio, with a folding map, three coloured lithograph plates, 33 original silver albumen photographs (283 x 212 mm) mounted on card with printed captions and borders, and two superb panoramas, one of them double-page... More
Brisbane: Government Printer, 1984. Large folio, original decorated cloth, slipcase, limitation slip, fine copy. High-quality limited facsimile edition. The original edition was published 1885 to commemorate the raising of the British Flag in Port Moresby in 1884.Admired as much for its technical virtuosity as its beauty, this work has been... More
London: 1834-, 1835.
Charles Babbage's son at university before moving to Australia
Engraved Certificate, 265 x 366mm, fine. Decorative document certifying that Babbage diligently attended the lectures in the Senior Mathematical Class during the session of 1834-35, and was presented with the First Certificate. More
London: 1833-, 1834.
Charles Babbage's son at university before moving to Australia
Engraved Certificate, 265 x 366mm. Decorative document certifying that Benjamin Herschel Babbage (1815-1878; Charles Babbage's son) diligently attended the lectures in the Second Class of Mathematics (1st Division) during the session of 1833-34; as well as a First... More
Sydney: Bank of New South Wales, 1 January 1824.
Early share certificate from Australia's first bank
Printed share certificate on vellum; 22.5 x 105 mm, completed in manuscript in ink. For the first thirty years of the colony of NSW, there was no organised and regulated banking system, rather a.... More
London: J. Cooke, 1787-1790. Original eighteenth century engraving, 120 x 175 mm. (image size). Engraving of Stubb's kangaroo, disbound from Bankes' New System of Geography. More
Upsala & Leipzig: Magnus Swederus, 1779.
Banks and Solander in iceland
Octavo, large map and chart and eleven plates (most folding), 13 plates in total; contemporary quarter roan and marbled boards. First German edition, preceded only by the very rare Swedish edition of 1777, and followed by London and Paris... More
London: H. Humphrey, 4 July 1795.
Making fun of Sir Joseph, metamorphosing into a splendid butterfly
Hand coloured engraving, 350 x 250 mm.; fine; mounted and framed. The first issue of 1795; an extremely rare satirical cartoon of Sir Joseph Banks, ridiculed here for using the Royal Order of the... More![An Account of a Voyage to New South Wales … [and] The History of New South Wales including Botany Bay, Port Jackson, Parramatta, Sydney and all its Dependancies…. George BARRINGTON.](/pictures/thumb/3705009.jpg?v=1434432228)
London: Jones, 1810.
Matching pair uncut in original boards
Two volumes, octavo; both works completely uncut in original boards, later paper title-labels; handsome matching slipcases. A beautiful uncut set of Barrington's famous pair of works, rare in this condition. The History, with its seventeen full-page plates, is the first book... More
London: Jones, 1810.
Second edition with fine handcoloured plates
Octavo, portrait frontispiece and nine handcoloured plates, folding map (laid down); contemporary half calf. The second edition (first published 1803) of this substantial account of the voyage to New South Wales via the Cape of Good Hope, with incidents partly derived... More
London: W. Clements & J. Sadler, 1791.
With Barrington's speeches from the dock
Octavo in fours, with wood-engraved frontispiece. Very rare: the second issue of this scarce pamphlet celebrating the misdeeds and famous speeches from the dock of Australia's most famous convict. This is one of the earliest and most... More