Travel from Rare Illustrated Books

London: Bancroft & Co, no date. A delightful example of the work of renowned Czech illustrator and paper engineer, Vojtech Kubasta (1914 -1992). Originally born in Vienna, Kubasta trained as an architect in Prague yet barely practiced, his career interrupted by the invasion of Nazis in the Second World War. Kubašta turned his fine engineering skills towards the… Read more about this item

Paris: Tolmer, 1924. First Edition. An outstanding French children's book of the 1920s and an unusually bold and daring example of pochoir design. Edy Legrand (1892-1970) was a leading illustrator of the Art Deco era, renowned for challenging traditional notions of children's book design. This folio, celebrating the great French explorers of the Pacific and Americas, was printed using… Read more about this item

Lille & Grammont: Maison du Bon Livre & Oeuvre de St. Charles, 1900. A particularly good copy of this important account of China and Tibet by the French missionary Évariste Régis Huc, who entered Lhasa in early 1846. Accompanied by another Vincentian missionary named Joseph Gabet and a Chinese convert, the party travelled through the vast interior deserts of… Read more about this item

Tours: Alfred Mame et fils, 1893. The splendid first French edition, which puts the English edition of 1890 in the shade. It is scarce - and not recorded by Ferguson - although almost half of the book is devoted to the Australian section of the voyage. Lord and Lady Brassey made several cruises around the world in their yacht,… Read more about this item

Paris: J. Hetzel, 1868. A large-format edition with dramatic illustrations by Edward Riou who collaborated with Jules Verne for six of his novels. This racing tale of adventure is set against the backdrop of Pacific exploration and discovery. Much of the action takes place in Australia, especially Victoria. There are adventures with the locals, bushrangers, and explorers (including a… Read more about this item

London: Burberrys Limited, 1930. Important work on men's fashion. Presentation inscription by Burberry director, A. Ralph Burberry. "For Safety on Land, in the Air, or Afloat, There's nothing to equal THE BURBERRY COAT" Scarce book promoting the firm's association with pioneers, explorers and the sportsmen who wore Burberry apparel in all manner of climates and landscapes to… Read more about this item

London: T. Hatchard, 1852. First Edition, First Printing. Very good. Rare: first edition, first issue of a work that was one of the most popular goldfields-era accounts of Australia. ‘If you were in Sydney, you would hardly think you were in a savage island; for you would see no savages in the streets. What is become of those… Read more about this item

New York: Collins and Hannay, 1838. First Edition. With nine maps and seventy-five engravings, principally for the use of schools. Uncommon New York-printed children's text book with a section on New Holland and an engraving of the bread fruit. ‘To this place the English government send thieves, and other bad people, from England. It is a vast distance… Read more about this item

Melbourne & Sydney: Tatchell, Garritty & Dobson, 1892. First Edition. Walter Withers, Ernest Ferris, Fred Kneebone, and John Clemens. A celebration of the Australian Christmas with illustrations by one of the founding members of the Heidelberg School, Walter Withers. Issued as a souvenir by the Post and Telegraph Departments, this charming work includes many portraits of the government officers,… Read more about this item

London: Oxford University Press, 1954. First Edition. HUTTON, Clarke. First edition of this charming autolithographed children's book. English artist and illustrator, Stanley Clarke Hutton (1898 - 1984) studied and taught lithography lithography Central School of Arts and Crafts in London. Between 1945 and 1962, Hutton illustrated many books for children including picture histories of Britain, France, Canada, Italy,… Read more about this item

Darton & Clark, 1840. Very rare: a history of America and Australia for children by American author Goodrich, under his more famous pen name "Peter Parley". Surprisingly detailed account of New South Wales, including a description of King Bungaree; Tasmania is also described. [Muir, 2884]. Small octavo, bound in original gilt-blocked red cloth, with frontispiece maps of Australia and… Read more about this item

Chicago: M.A. Donohue & Co, 1910. American edition of one of the most notable early Australian books. Includes murderous convict tales, bushrangers and depictions of enslaved Indigenous Australia. [Muir, 3441.]. Octavo, bound in original pictorial wrappers, 323 pages + 15 pages advertisements, uniformly embrowned, a very good copy.

London: John Murray, 1871. First Edition. The surprisingly scarce first edition of this famous juvenile; Ferguson records only a later impression [Ferguson, 15755]. The attractive vignettes used as chapter-headings include rather good views of Melbourne and Sydney as well as Auckland, Honolulu and Niagara. Engaging travelogue filled with wonderful descriptions and adventures. Octavo, with steel-engraved illustrations; original green cloth… Read more about this item

London: Macmillan & Co, 1900. Presumed First English Edition. Letters of Marque" and "From Sea to Sea" by Rudyard Kipling. There is something lovely about this copy, a beautiful old library book that looks exactly as it ought to. "...We are now running down to Penang with the thermometer 87* in the cabins, and anything you please… Read more about this item

Stockholm: Adolf Johnson Furlag, 1886. An adaption of Daniel Defoe's tale of the desert island shipwreck survivor, 'Robinson Crusoe', translated by C.F. Bagge after Joachim Heinrich Campe's highly successful imitation. [Ungdomens Bibliotek IV]. Octavo, bound in illustrated boards with blue cloth spine titled in gilt, 180 pages, 2 chromolithographic plates, a very good copy.

Chicago: Montgomery Ward & Co, 1903. Exquisite little catalogue of baby carriages and Victorian children's prams. 'The Tallest Mercantile Building in the World. We own and occupy it exclusively. We carry a stock of merchandise valued at over $2,500,000,00... and when you learn what we offer goods for, and compare our prices with what you are paying,… Read more about this item

London: Print Collectors' Club, 1931. MERYON, Charles.. A collection of dark and moody Parisian scenes by master French printmaker, Charles Meryon (1821 -1868) paired with an accomplished essay by the curator of prints of prints and drawing at the Victoria and Albert Museum, Martin Hardie. Limited edition - this is number 422 of 500 - printed at The Baynard… Read more about this item

London: Isbister and Company, 1894. To describe "The Sunday Magazine" as a religious periodical is to confine it unnecessarily. Edited by Reverend Benjamin Waugh (1839 -1908), founder of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, "The Sunday Magazine" is a publication that broaches everything from art and literature to travel and poetry. Some of the Reverend's… Read more about this item

Paris: Fabrique Générale d'Articles de Voyages, 1840. First Edition. Alexis Godillot (1816-1893) was a contemporary of Louis Vuitton (1821-1892) and first achieved renown in Paris for his beautiful hand-made luggage. With a workshop situated just a few blocks away from Vuitton's, this catalogue comes from this very early period of Godillot's life before he had revolutionised footwear by differentiating… Read more about this item

Chicago: Donohue, Henneberry & Co, 1891. The tale of a remarkable journey from California to Australia with hundreds of extraordinary wood block illustrations. Remarkable nineteenth century work linking the two continents, in very good original condition. Quarto, original decorated boards with striking silver lettering, the spine ends and external hinges are rubbed, endpapers replaced, a nice copy.