Tyseley, Abingdon Works, 1931. The centrespread confidently asserts that the King Dick is the 'obvious answer to the "housewife's prayer".... To do your work quick - you must use a "King Dick" ... Install one now - electricity is entirely unnecessary'. It's hard to believe that this glorified carpet sweeper..... More

Eight of the plates depict scenes of Shell's business activities in Australia (five are in South Australia). These include aerial views of the bulk installations at Gore Bay, NSW, and Birkenhead, SA; Sir Alan Cobham landing at Albert Part, Victoria on 29 August 1926; a fleet of 20 cars used..... More

Manchester, Shortland Bros. [1950s?]. The price-list is loosely inserted. More

Birmingham, Smith and Davis, Limited, 1939. The catalogue offers a wide range of 'Plumberalities and Gas Fittings, Builders' Hardware, Horticultural Brassware, Domestic and General Brassware, Cabinet Fittings, Picture and Mirror Fittings, Carpet Fittings, [and] Window Fittings'. The first page is headed 'Exp[or]t./39 Please Destroy Earlier Editions in order to avoid..... More

London, W. Butcher & Sons Ltd., 1923. More

Stockholm, B.A. Hjorth & Co., 1929. Loosely inserted is price list (September 1932; quarto, 6 pages, folded down the centre), and a supplementary leaf advertising spare parts and novelties (1933; left-hand margin torn and crumpled). [3 items]. More

Richmond, Printed by the 'Richmond Chronicle', [circa 1934]. 'We feel ... we have advanced another step with an industry which has only been known to Australia for a period of three years' (introductory note in the catalogue). Information about Mintern-related companies online (see ozwrenches.com) suggests the company started making garden..... More

Leeds, Chas. F. Thackray Ltd, [circa 1955]. The most recent date in the addenda is May 1954; there is a contemporary ownership date of 27 January 1956 on the front free endpaper. An endpocket, now empty, presumably originally contained a price list. More

Tuttlingen, Chiron, [circa 1936 - see our footnote]. The text is in German, English, French and Spanish. Page [xviii] contains some fine self-promotional copy, along with a line illustration of the 'Hindenburg'. 'The airship ..., an example of today's technical progress, for whose construction and complement only the very best..... More

They are mounted, 'as issued', in concertina-form on cloth. The spine of the first one, 'The Chartfield School Mystery' by Monica Marsden, is also present. This provides the details of the publisher, and paper residue on its cloth backing suggests it was originally tipped into (say) a representative's portfolio of..... More

Basle [Basel], Durand & Huguenin SA, [1930s?]. We purchased this item many years ago from the estate of Dr Hedley Ralph Marston; if you don't know about him, consult the Australian Dictionary of Biography without delay. More

Birmingham, D. Mason & Sons Limited, [circa 1890s?]. A superb item, with many pages a visual treat, irrespective of the product displayed (or perhaps because of the nature of the objects). The text throughout is in English, French and Spanish. The full title in English is 'D. Mason & Sons..... More