[COCKBURN, Rodney]

Pastoral Pioneers of South Australia. Vol. I [and] Vol. II. Reprinted from 'The Stock and Station Journal'

Adelaide, Publishers Limited, 1925 and 1927 (first editions).

Quarto, two volumes, 207 and 263 pages with numerous portraits and illustrations (from photographs).

Original half maroon roan and cloth (the latter unmatched, but as issued); gilt lettering on the spines and front covers; leather a little rubbed and scuffed, with minimal conservation to the spine of the first volume; cloth a little flecked and scuffed, with some marks to the the first volume (including a large drink-ring on the front cover); flyleaves of the first volume sympathetically renewed; trifling signs of use and age; a very good set (internally excellent) of the rarely-seen first editions.

An important series of lengthy biographical sketches of SA pioneering pastoralists. 'Publication of the series began in the "Adelaide Stock and Station Journal" on January 10, 1923, and continued weekly until August 10, 1927.... During that period, a total of 230 articles was published, and the number of pastoralists to receive attention is in the neighbourhood of 300.... No really representative pioneer sheep-farmer or cattle-breeder who operated in South Australia has been overlooked, and in many cases it has been possible to retrieve from almost complete oblivion the interesting records of lesser lights' (foreword to the second volume). A short article in 'The News' (8 July 1941) relating to a substantial gift of books and papers to the SA Archives by A.T. Saunders states in part that 'Among the books is a copy of the very rare first volume of Cockburn's "Pastoral Pioneers of South Australia"'. We recall reading in one of James Dally's catalogues in our early days in the late 1970s that many copies of the first volume of this work were destroyed in a fire. Although we cannot substantiate this fact, in our experience it is indeed an absolute rarity. Provenance: the front flyleaf of the second volume is signed in ballpoint pen 'J. Elliott Murray | Rhine Park' (see Volume 1, page 51, column b): presumably James Elliott Murray (1884-1971). [2 items].