£ 495
Jack, Robert Logan.
NORTHMOST AUSTRALIA: Three Centuries of Exploration, Discovery and Adventure in and around the Cape York Peninsula, Queensland. With a study of the narratives of all explorers by sea and land in the light of modern charting.
Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co.
1921
First edition.
Jack, a Scot, became Queensland Government Geologist from 1877 to 1899. During this time he made numerous important mineralogical surveys, He mapped and appraised coal prospects near Cooktown, Townsville and the Flinders River, and reported on twelve goldfields including Mount Morgan, Charters Towers and the Palmer, as well as four northern tinfields and other silver mines. In this his final published work Jack provides detailed accounts of many explorations in northern Queensland and as such the books also covers Captain Bligh, James Cook, HMS Beagle, swamps & creeks, disease, insects, crocodile, aborigines, poison plants, rivers, the mangroves, cannibalism, beginning of Cooktown, geological surveys, gold mining, desert, lakes & lagoons, Polynesian labour, railways, aboriginal women & white men, reefs, kidnapping, light houses, alleged murders by aborigines, food, conflicts with aborigines and much more.
London. Two volumes. In original green cloth bindings with half title to both volumes, frontispiece plate to volume 1, numerous portrait illustrations,17 folding maps to rear pockets [complete]. Endpapers lightly browned with some occasional light spotting [mostly marginal] to top page ends. Previous owners’ neat dated signature on half title page. The majority of pages are clean and bright. Text block tight and square. Hinges secure with boards firmly attached. A near fine rare set of volumes on Australia and its early exploration.
     
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