South Australia and its Mines, with an Historical Sketch of the Colony, under its Several Administrations, to the Period of Captain Grey's Departure
London, T. and W. Boone, 1846.
Octavo, [ii], x, 361 pages with 7 illustrations in the text (2 full-page) plus 5 plates (4 tinted), a map, and a large folding hand-coloured map by John Arrowsmith (printed surface 613 × 494 mm, sheet size 683 × 530 mm), in a pocket. Three additional advertisements from the publisher are tipped in, namely: on the front endpaper (2 pages, for J. Lort Stokes' expedition); before page 1 (a slip, printed recto only, for Eyre); and on the rear flyleaf (an 8-page catalogue for T. and W. Boone's 'Library of Australian Travels').
Original brown ribbed cloth lettered and decorated in gilt on the spine, with the sides decorated in blind; all edges uncut; cloth slightly chipped at the head of the spine, with the joints slightly split (now protected with a Mylar dustwrapper); folding map lightly offset and marked; plates and adjacent pages a little foxed and offset; stitching slightly strained near the centre of the textblock; a few other minor signs of age and handling; overall, an excellent copy of a scarce work difficult to find in this condition (and rarely found complete with the map).
A presentation copy, inscribed in ink on the front free endpaper 'Mrs T. Wilkinson | with the authors kind regard'. Wantrup: 'Thomas & William Boone's Library of Australian Travels', page 81 (this copy conforming with his Aii variant). Ferguson 4267.
Item #139438
Price (AUD):
$2,500.00