Bushman and Buccaneer. Harry Morant, His 'Ventures and Verses
Sydney, Printed and Published by H.T. Dunn & Co., 1902.
Large octavo, 63 pages with 3 illustrations from drawings (including a full-page one by Norman Lindsay), a full-page map, a page of facsimile manuscript, and 9 illustrations (5 full-page) from photographs, plus advertisements (for 'Bagasse Fibrous Composition') on three surfaces of the wrappers.
Original colour-pictorial wrappers (based on the Norman Lindsay illustration at page 39) lightly stained; the entire textblock is waterstained, the first ten leaves a little more so than others; creases and short sealed tears to the inner margin of the first eight leaves, with two longer sealed tears to the following leaf (one tear extends across the entire leaf); notwithstanding, a decent well-restored copy of an exceedingly rare item.
Harry 'Breaker' Harbord Morant (born Edwin Henry Murrant, 1864-1902) was executed by firing squad in Pretoria for murder on 27 February 1902. The first notice we have found relating to this short work appeared less than three months later. A contemporary review, in the Wagga Wagga newspaper 'The Worker' on 12 July 1902, is worth quoting in full. '"Bushman and Buccaneer" is a brief biography by Frank Renar of the late Harry Morant, better known as "The Breaker". It includes all his published verses - including an autograph copy of the last lines he ever penned - and the full story of his life in South Africa with all that led up to his courtmartial and the death which followed thereon, hardafoot. It also contains a number of Morant's letters to Australian friends and presents the reader with a true and unflattering picture of the man as he lived - none of his warts, wrinkles, or grog-blossoms being scambled over. Reading this work - to be had at the "Bulletin" office and elsewhere for a shilling and by post for fourteenpence - one is more than ever convinced that though Morant was blameworthy, though he was probably both murderer and looter, yet that there were extenuating circumstances - he was apparently misled by the impunity with which others, all around him, also slaughtered in cold blood and stole without compunction. And in this view we are confirmed by the later intelligence, which declares that for both Morant and Handcock came a reprieve just twelve hours after it ceased to be of any use to them. This is the sort of book that the Bushman, even though no Buccaneer, likes to read. By the way, this volume contains illustrations by Norman Lindsay, some photographs, and a map.' The author was Sir Frank Ignatius Fox (1874-1960), 'journalist and Imperialist' ('Australian Dictionary of Biography'). Provenance: a Western Australian member of the 4th Battalion, Australian Commonwealth Horse.
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