Our latest catalogue contains numerous rare and fascinating items (not to overlook the many interesting and collectible ones too!). Militaria is well represented: there are signed letters from Montgomery of Alamein and Alexander of Tunis in a small archive relating to the WW2 service of two SA brothers, Fred and Percy Cockington (Percy was KIA in 1942); over 100 issues of the Special Siege Edition and Special Siege Slips of The Mafeking Mail (1899-1900); Souvenir of Sinai & Palestine. Compiled by Tpr. J. Ellis, 7th L.H. (an album of 96 original photographs of strong military interest); Shadbolt's Afghan Campaign of 1878-1880 (1882, two volumes), with 140 Woodburytype portraits of soldiers who lost their lives; and 132 Boer War stereographs.

Other important photographic items include Pictures from the Tyng Collection (1931), featuring a photogravure of the famous 'Bewegungs Studie [Study of Movement]' by Rudolf Koppitz; and 96 stereographs of famous disasters (from the 1902 eruption of Mount Pelée to the Messina earthquake of 1908).

Numerous maps include Stanford's Library Map of Australasia (circa 1862, an uncut example, a mammoth 1455 x 1600 mm), and Smith’s New General Atlas (1809), containing 43 engraved maps with original hand-colouring.

A collection of material relating to John McDouall Stuart includes an unrecorded manuscript journal of the first seven weeks of his second exploring expedition (March-May 1859); an apparently unrecorded carte de visite portrait photograph of him; and The Book of Common Prayer (1860) with his signed presentation inscription.

Other signed books include works by or about Pelé, Ion Idriess, Charles Bean, Wing Commander 'Bobby' Gibbes, Professor Terence Tao (his 1992 MSc thesis), and artists Norman Lindsay, Justin O’Brien, Brian Dunlop and John Olsen (the last two with original artwork).