A first-edition copy of Bishop Nixon's narrative of his visit to the Bass Strait islands, featuring his original woodcut illustrations. This particular copy carries an interesting chain of Tasmanian ownership spanning over a century.
Provenance:
- 1857 inscription: An early presentation inscription written in the front to "Julia" from Archdeacon Davies (Rowland Robert Davies), dated 27 February 1857.
- K.R. von Stieglitz bookplate: The personal bookplate of the well known Tasmanian regional historian Karl von Stieglitz is pasted to the front endpaper.
- Original 1964 letter: Includes a loose, handwritten 1964 letter from von Stieglitz to an antiquarian buyer named "Dida," detailing the commercial sale of this book. The letter has some insect damage.
- Biro notes: The margins and inside back cover are heavily annotated in biro, likely written by "Dida" while studying the book after buying it in 1964.
Condition & Bibliographic Details:
- Published by Bell & Daldy, London, 1857.
- 114 pages, plus the publisher's June 1857 catalogue bound in at the back.
- Approximate size: 19.5cm x 13cm.
- Flaws to note: It is missing the large folding map. The yellow endpapers are modern replacements. The blue cloth cover (seems original) is worn, and the gold lettering on the spine is faded. While the woodcuts are relatively clean for their age, the pages show edge wear, some marking, and the biro lines and notes mentioned above.
This is a heavily used antiquarian book sold as a unique historical association copy. Please check our extra photos of the inscriptions, bookplate, and text markings before purchasing, or contact the shop if you have any questions.
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