Early Houses of Northern Tasmania: Abridged Edition by E. Graeme Robertson and Edith N. Craig.

Early Houses of Northern Tasmania: Abridged Edition by E. Graeme Robertson and Edith N. Craig. Hardcover book published by Georgian House 1966 (abridged edition with revisions), 323 pages with black and white photographs and a few black and white illustrations.

The sale of all sets of the original two volume, limited edition of EARLY HOUSES OF NORTHERN TASMANIA within three months of publication in 1964 clearly indicated a far wider interest in the subject than had been anticipated. The present abridgement in one volume has been prepared in response to many requests from those who were unable to acquire the limited edition. This richly illustrated work provides a pageant in word and picture of the houses built and occupied by the early settlers of Northern Tasmania. Today many of these beautiful old houses are occupied by descendants of the original settlers to whom their preservation is a duty handed down by those who have gone before. Others have come into the possession of new owners, who bestow equally loving care on their preservation. Franklin House, Clarendon and The Grange arc owned by the National Trust, whose excellent work earns for its members the gratitude of all who feel conscious of the need for protecting such properties from the vandal and the “developer”. More than 130 houses are illustrated and described in some detail, some being represented by a number of superb plates, and many more receiving brief mention in the narrative. The text contains brief accounts of the original owners, their arrival in the colony, their grants or purchases of land; and accounts from early travellers of their visits to some of the houses, as well as the names of present owners. The book contains 269 plates and eight itinerary maps—frontispieces to the eight chapters which deal in detail with each house as it is met with during the authors’ travels. The endpapers reproduce an early map of Tasmania. This abridged edition includes all buildings appearing in the original edition and three dwellings and two churches, which did not previously appear, have been added. Additional photographs of some houses, previously illustrated, have also been included where recent restoration or repainting has enhanced the aesthetic quality of the building.

Tasmania. It's not really that far from here, but far enough and over water enough for me to not have visited it. It's not that I have anything against the Apple Isle, it's just one of those places that whilst on the list, never seems to make it to the top of the list. I really must do something about this.

Despite not having ventured there, I am aware of the book buying publics appreciation for all (or most) books Tassie. Yep, a good Tassie book is as good a thing as you can get. I've got a few theories about why this is with the main theory being that people of Tasmania really do love Tasmania, more so than say those people who just live somewhere and like it. The people of Tasmania REALLY like it. Whenever i've flicked through any books about our southern most state, I start to dream a little about how nice it would be to live somewhere as nice as that*. I'm sure the reality is not all beautiful scenery and historic sites and there is no doubt a dark underside to Tasmanian living as much as there is elsewhere here in Australia... but possibly less than somewhere like Syria.

This book is not a first edition as the publishers blurb above indicates, yet it is still worth more than a few $$$... a bit like some of the houses in the book... but maybe not quite as much. I recently sold a book about Tasmania's National Trust properties which is possibly another way of getting a glimpse at historical Tasmanian architecture. I didn't have a thorough look at the National Trust book but I get the feeling that this one whilst not covering all of Tassie, it is a little broader in scope and is heading towards the bees knees of books looking at the Early Houses of Northern Tasmania.

*... and then realise I live somewhere just as nice.  

The Legacy of Eureka: Past, Present and Future, essays compiled and edited by Anne Beggs Sunter and Kevin T. Livingston.

The Legacy of Eureka: Past, Present and Future, essays compiled and edited by Anne Beggs Sunter and Kevin T. Livingston. Paperback book published by Australian Studies Centre, University of Ballarat 1998, 73 pages.

These essays are drawn from a conference called The Legacy of Eureka. Part of the Eureka 140th Anniversary celebrations, it was organised by the University of Ballarat in association with Sovereign Hill, the Australian Catholic University, the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery and the City of Ballarat. Contributors include Geoffrey Blainey, Weston Bate, John Molony, Barry Jones, A.O., Peter Hiscock, Shirley Swain and Cheryl Saunders. The aim of the conference was to explore the significance of the events which occurred at and around the Eureka Stockade on 3 December 1854. The contributors examine the meaning of Eureka in the past, looking at ways in which the events have been memorialised and celebrated, at the local level as well as nationally. They also reflect on the meaning of Eureka in the present and in the future, examining its role in tourism and its contribution to current political and constitutional debates.

I wonder if any of the disgruntled 1854 gold diggers of Ballarat ever seriously considered that their legacy would still be discussed/debated/worshipped all these years later. Somehow I don't think legacy was on most of their minds at the time with most of the stockaders being more concerned with dodging gunfire (etc) and surviving than having a pub named after them.

The Eureka stockade is a big deal here in Victoria and also across Australia, and an even bigger deal in Ballarat which is only 25 minutes as the car drives from where I now sit. It's one of those events that is a true milestone in our short Australian European history. Anyone reading this that doesn't have a connection to Australia is probably wondering what the hell Eureka was (click here if this is you) which is why i'm of the firm belief that when this book does sell it will be within Australia as I can't really imagine someone sitting in Sweden (or anywhere else) thinking “Oh yeah. I would be really interested in reading about the Eureka rebellion.” 

The Polaroid Book: Selection from the Polaroid Collections of Photography, edited by Steve Crist, essay by Barbara Hitchcock.

The Polaroid Book: Selection from the Polaroid Collections of Photography, edited by Steve Crist, essay by Barbara Hitchcock. Hardcover book published by Taschen 2011, 351 pages with colour and black and white photographs throughout.  

In existence for over 50 years, the Polaroid Corporation’s photography collection is the greatest collection of Polaroid images in the world. Begun by Polaroid founder Edwin Land and photographer Ansel Adams, the collection now includes images by hundreds of photographers throughout the world and contains important pieces by artists such as David Hockney, Helmut Newton, Jeanloup Sieff, and Robert Rauschenberg. The Polaroid Book, a survey of this remarkable collection, pays tribute to a medium that defies the digital age and remains a favorite among artists for its quirky look and instantly gratifying, one-of-a-kind images.

Those people at Taschen sure know how to slap an interesting book together... or is it the people who have convinced Taschen to publish this book that know how to put a book of interest together? Either way, Taschen have published it and I think it's a job well done. I didn't realise that the Polaroid Corporation even had a collection, which is I guess why this book exists.

I've never owned a Polaroid. My mother had one back in the 70s and I remember it was a great novelty at the time and there are a bunch of Polaroid photos from a family Christmas gathering. After that I don't remember her using it all that often and then after a few years she didn't use it at all. Whatever happened to that camera and the photos? Fortunately for anyone having a peak at this book, my 1970s family Christmas photos didn't make the selection, unlike Andy Warhol who is in the book but a long way away from Christmas.

Photography and art fans, will love this book. I love this book. There's something about the instant photograph, which is slower than my phone, that is quite appealing. I think it has to do with an understanding that there was (is?) an immediacy about these pictures. It was something you snapped and then looked at a few minutes later without the benefit of photoshop to enhance and without an option to do copies*. These were one-of-a-kind pictures not designed to be shared around... unless of course they ended up in this book.

* I think you could do copies but it wasn't easy... I could be wrong.

Mountains of Books Fair 2015.

http://www.onlymelbourne.com.au/mountains-of-books-fair#.VjCEePkrLIU

This weekend (Saturday and Sunday only... not Monday, which isn't really a public holiday, or Tuesday which is a real public holiday... if you live in Melbourne) I will be selling books person to person with the interwebs nowheres about, at the Ferny Creek Recreational Reserve Hall. This will be my first visit to this book fair and it comes about after being mucked around by the people from the Port Fairy book fair a few months ago where I found out at the very last minute that they didn't have space for my book gems.  A fellow bookseller kindly suggested I try the more organised and pleasant to deal with people from the Mountains of Books Fair. I'm looking forward to it and if you want to put a face to this blog and live close enough to Ferny Creek, drop by. I'll be there.

Industrial Dust Explosions: Symposium on Industrial Dust Explosions sponsored by ASTM Committee E-27 on Hazard Potential of Chemicals, edited by Kenneth L. Cashdollar and Martin Hertzberg.

Industrial Dust Explosions: Symposium on Industrial Dust Explosions sponsored by ASTM Committee E-27 on Hazard Potential of Chemicals, edited by Kenneth L. Cashdollar and Martin Hertzberg. Hardcover book with pictorial boards (no dust jacket) published by ASTM 1987, 363 pages with black and white photographs and illustrations.

“The purpose of the Symposium on Industrial Dust Explosions was to provide a forum for the discussion of dust explosion hazards. In the coal mining, electric power generation, grain handling, plastics, chemicals, wood products. and metal powders industries, dust explosions and fires have been a continuing problem. Various preventive and protective measures must be taken to ensure safety.”

Once again I took a punt on a number of books on a subject I know absolutely nothing about. What I do know is that they were all on a very specific technical subject that whilst i have no knowledge or interest in that subject, i realised that these books are probably of interest to someone... somewhere.

I casually mentioned these items to technical wizz and bookseller extraordinaire, Paul Perry of All Sorts books (Northcote) and he of course knew all about the subject, directing me to a number of youtube videos:

Yep, even icing sugar can explode. One second you're happily eating a boston bun and then “BANG”... (maybe not). I guess that's why there is so much information on the subject of dust explosions. It is serious and realistically nobody wants a bun accident.  So next time I ice a cake (or a bun) I will be extra careful...

And finally... and please excuse my complete rudeness and ignorance... Is Cashdollar really a name?

You can view this book on ebay here.

A Heart at Fire's Center: The Life and Music of Bernard Herrmann by Steven C. Smith.

A Heart at Fire's Center: The Life and Music of Bernard Herrmann by Steven C. Smith. Hardcover book published by University of California Press 1991, 415 pages with some black and white photographs.

No composer contributed more to film than Bernard Herrmann, who in over forty scores enriched the work of such directors as Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock, François Truffaut, and Martin Scorsese. From his first film (Citizen Kane) to his last (Taxi Driver), Herrmann was a master at evoking psychological nuance and dramatic tension through music, often using unheard-of instrumental combinations to suit the dramatic needs of a film. His scores are among the most distinguished ever written, ranging from the fantastic (Fahrenheit 451, The Day the Earth Stood Still) to the romantic (Obsession, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir) to the terrifying (Psycho). Film was not the only medium in which Herrmann made a powerful mark. His radio broadcasts included Orson Welles’s Mercury Theatre of the Air and its most notorious presentation, The War of the Worlds. His concert music was commissioned and performed by the New York Philharmonic. As chief conductor of the CBS Symphony, Herrmann gave important first performances of music by such composers as Ralph Vaughan Williams and Charles Ives, whose work he particularly championed. Almost as celebrated as these achievements are the enduring legends of Herrmann’s combativeness and volatility. In this painstakingly researched biography, Steven C. Smith separates myth from fact. Yet Herrmann remains as complex as any character in the films he scored—a creative genius, an indefatigable musicologist, an explosive bully, a generous and compassionate man who desperately sought friendship and love.

What a great book... a truely great book. I actually have a copy of this book on the personal book shelf. For me it was one of those titles that you read about somewhere and take a punt on it being as good as the review... which fortunately it was.  I remember that I paid quite a bit for it as at the time it didn't get a local run. Being only available overseas, I had to order it in from a bookshop that would take the time and effort to do this sort of thing (...possibly Hill of Content in Melbourne).

Why Bernard Herrmann you may ask? I like his stuff. I've had an interest in Bernie for many years. It started with the Hitchcock soundtracks, which even today I would rate as some of the best sounding music in films that I have ever heard. If you can't remember what he did listen to this

… which is something you don't forget. It's also not really indicative of what his work sounds like overall, but in my opinion it is probably one of the most memorable bits of soundtrack there ever was.

The book goes into some detail about Bernards attempts at be taken as something other than a soundtrack composer. There was an opera and various attempts at “serious” classical compositions, but overall he is best remembered for his soundtrack work and there was quite a bit of it with one of his final soundtracks being

A biography of this important composer should be on everybodies shelf. I highly recommend it... and I am selling a copy of it. HERE

Fred Williams by Patrick McCaughey. SIGNED COPY

Fred Williams by Patrick McCaughey. Hardcover book published by Bay Books 1980, 340 pages (a few pages fold out) with colour and black and white illustrations as well as a few black and white photographs. SIGNED COPY (Fred Williams).

“One of Australia’s leading landscape painters, Fred Williams stands at the peak of a prolific career. Since the late 1950s, Williams has maintained consistently successful showings virtually every year in Australia and overseas. Described by leading critics as ‘brilliant but unknown’ in 1961 and ‘at his peak’ in 1977, he is nevertheless by no means as widely recognised as his considerable achievements merit. Patrick McCaughey’s study of the artist is the first comprehensive and fully researched attempt to inform a wider public of the worth and significance of Williams’s work. The author covers Williams’s career from his student days to his years of mature achievement in a text that owes a great deal of its intimacy to the ready collaboration of the artist. The many reproductions cover every facet of Williams’s work, including many items not previously shown or published. This scholarly and splendidly produced book deserves the attention of every serious student of Australian contemporary painting and its artists.”

For some unknown, or relatively unknown (...actually, I do know but I don't wont go into details) reason, I remember when this book was published. I was a young bookseller working at Monash University at the time and this book was a big deal as the author, Patrick McCaughey had been up until that point the local professor of Fine Arts, having only recently moved on to becoming the Director of the National Gallery of Victoria. There was a certain buzz about the book as not only was it a local that had scribbled it, it was also considered to be an important work of art history. With all the fuss and brouhaha that was going on at the time, I remember having a good look/flick through the pages and... oh boy... I didn't like it. Nope, Freddy was not my thing in 1980.

Here we are 35 years later and i'm happy to report that I now have a more positive view of the work of Fred Williams, so much so that I have even contemplated keeping this volume if it should fail to make the $$$ that i'm hoping it will sell for. The big $$$ that is. Soonish after this volume was published, Fred was diagnosed with cancer and rather sadly passed away. He did manage to sign all of the copies of a deluxe edition of which I also currently have a copy for sale, and some of the regular copies of the first edition. This is one of the lucky copies of the first edition to have passed through his hands. Later editions are all unsigned.