A Geographical, Historical and Topographical Description of Van Diemen's Land, with Important Hints to Emigrants, and Useful Information respecting the Application for Grants of Land; together with a List of the Most Necessary Articles for Persons to take out. Embellished by a Correct View of Hobart Town ...
London, John Souter, 1822.
Octavo, xii, 140, [4] (publisher's catalogue) pages plus a folding engraved view of Hobart (after a sketch by the author) as frontispiece.
Later replica papered boards with a paper title-label on the spine; covers slightly marked, with the spine a little sunned and rubbed; endpapers offset, marked and lightly stained; uncut edges dusty and roughly opened in places (resulting in minor edge loss to the blank margins of a few leaves, with small areas of infill to the top corner of two leaves); folding frontispiece slightly foxed and marked; scattered light foxing elsewhere (heavier on the preliminaries); minor signs of use and age (including several indelible pencil numbers to the appendix); overall a very good copy.
Provenance: the notable Australiana library of F.G. Coles, with his bookplate on the front pastedown. An important early work on Tasmania, with 'sections on the discovery and early exploration of the island, soil and agriculture, botany, zoology, mineralogy, roads, field sports, manufactures, commerce, law and much besides. The publisher added a long and fascinating account of bushranging on the island as well as much valuable material for the prospective emigrant' (Wantrup). The title page refers to 'A Large Chart of the Island, Thirty Inches by Twenty-four', which was issued separately at the same time as the book. 'The chart is rare and few copies of the text are accompanied by it. Since it was issued quite separately from the text, the text must be considered complete without it' (Wantrup). Ferguson 861 (not recording the publisher's catalogue); Wantrup 55.
Item #114408
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