Pastoral Pioneers of South Australia... Reprinted from 'The Stock and Station Journal'
Adelaide, Publishers Limited, 1925 and 1927 (first editions).
Quarto, two volumes, 207, [1] (colophon) and 263 pages with numerous portraits and illustrations (from photographs).
Matching original half maroon roan and cloth, lettered in gilt on the spines and front covers; leather a little rubbed and scuffed, with minor wear to the extremities, and the head and foot of the spine of the first volume expertly renewed; cloth flecked, mottled and a little marked; endpapers in the first volume a little tanned, with the margins discoloured by the leather turn-ins; trifling signs of age and use; a very good set (internally excellent) of these rarely-seen first edition volumes.
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: Alexander Cockburn, brother of the compiler of these volumes. The verso of the title page is inscribed 'To Alexander Cockburn | from his son Malcolm | as a Souvenir of the first fee received | by him for his professional services | Dec 1925'. At the foot of the foreword, Malcolm has written 'The majority of the sketches herein were written by Rodney Cockburn brother of Alexander Cockburn'. [2 items].
Item #141101
Price (AUD):
$2,500.00