Antiquities & Oddities

//Antiquities & Oddities
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  • Book IV of The Courtney Chronicles. A holiday in Italy for Susan Courtney, the prospect of meeting new friends and the even more delightful prospect of meeting up with an old and very agreeable friend.  This friend from times past has come to a crossroads in his life - will he choose the upward path, or the downward?  Illustrated by John Harcourt Finnie.
  • Short stories, tales, articles and features for teenage boys. Illustrated. In this volume: A Day In October, Edward Boyd; Gabriel's Horn, Paul Gardiner; Bunst's Good Turn, John Newtown Chance; The Ear Of Lieutenant Banzai, Hugh Paterson; Tarf The Terrible, David Stephen; The Black Horse, Jim Kjelgaard; The Rasp And The Rope, Jane Oliver; All For Madam Wonko, Captain Frank Knight; The Mystery Of The Devil's Hoofmarks, Trevor Holloway; Roly Dawson's Quiet Holiday; Have You A Puppy? David Stephen; Dave Garratt And The Space Pirates; Ship Parade; Let's Go Sailing, Thomas Muir.
  • A very educational annual circa 1940s with chapters on Heroes of the Bible; Heroes of Legend; Heroes of History; Heroes of the Arts; Heroes of Leadership and Service; Heroes of the Second World War.  With beautiful colour plates, monochrome and black and white illustrations.
  • Quite a rollicking tale of corrupt soldiers and starving convicts, set in a South Pacific penal colony in 1790.  Into this alien world comes Corporal Phelim Halloran: Innocent and lover, poet and scholar and soldier-by-accident who attempts to make a world for himself in this non-conducive setting. First published in 1967.
  • Subtitle: Being the Story of British Heroism in Voyaging and Sea-fight from Alfred's Time to the Battle of Trafalgar. First published in 1905, this anthology was the first one-volume survey of Britain's historic sea voyages and battles. With selections from John Dryden, Samuel Pepys, Sir Walter Raleigh, King Alfred as well as contemporary accounts from documents, letters and eyewitnesses.  This history covers the period from 55 B.C. to 1805 A.D. With one colour plate, several glossy black and white plates and sketches.  
  • A further instalment in the Freddie Browne and Jim Fanshawe investigations series - a 1937 mystery in which, no doubt, the bodies pile up and the femmes are fatale - or fainting - in the best tradition of the genre. Illustrated by J. Philips Paterson. A fabulous period piece for fans of the traditional detective story.
  • Bruce, the son of the busy Dr Henshaw and a doting mother, is pretty used to doing just as he likes.  But Bruce also has an older sister who is not quite so charmed by him. Bruce doesn't realise the value of money, has no respect for the property of others, is too lazy to apply himself to school and always seems to talk his way out of the mischief he gets into so effortlessly. But when he 'borrows' a motor car belonging to City merchant Mr. Ferguson, almost has an accident and the bewildered merchant gets a summons to appear in court for reckless driving, Bruce's father knows the time has come to teach his charming lad a sharp lesson in reality. He also needs to learn that driving recklessly in a 'borrowed' motor is NOT a 'lark'.  The railway line near Boonderong in Queensland is being extended and Dr. Henshaw's friend Mr. Langdon is in charge of the work camp there. And this is where Bruce is sent - to work, to learn the value of what he earns and to respect that which does not belong to him... and he has to learn it the hard way.
  • Book III in the Bum trilogy.  Dedicated by the author to anyone who has or who has ever had a bum, the last instalment promises the reader: Bums! Action! Adventure! Romance! Robots! Time Travel! Prehistoric Bums! Giant Brown Blobs! A Huge Arsteroid! Plenty of scope for bum, fart and poo jokes here, for the young and the young at heart.
  • From the introduction:  'The whole five are sober youngsters - none of them drinks. Gilbert is a very jolly fellow.. O'Meally is a murderous looking scoundrel.  Ben Hall is a quiet, good looking fellow, lame one leg having been broken, he is the eldest...and the leader...Vane is a big sleepy-looking man.  Mickey Burke is small.  They seem at all times to be most thoroughly self-possessed and to understand each other perfectly...they are not likely  to quarrel.'  A fascinating A4 book, possibly a desk top publication, with black and white photos. A small part yet vital part of the romanticism of  Australia's bushranging era of the 1860s.
  • From time immemorial, priests, saints, occultists and soothsayers have used the ancient art of candle burning in prayer, supplication or to create a reality. It's a cornerstone of practice in Christian faiths and witchcraft and paganism. This book simplifies and demystifies the ancient practice with advice on the best colours to use, the phase of the moon, the appropriate day of the week, incantations and even alternative Bible verses for those uncomfortable with paganism. More importantly, it tells  the practitioner what NOT to do and underlines the rule of, 'Do what thou wilt - with harm to none.'
  • Frederic Slaney Poole (1845-1936), son of Judge  Thomas Slaney Poole, stepped off the St. Vincent at Port Adelaide on November 30, 1867  to work at the Poonindie Native Institution, was priested in 1869, and became incumbent of Robe, a vast parish. Before becoming headmaster  Christ Church Grammar School, Mount Gambier, he travelled to London and married Rebecca Scott. In 1874 be became incumbent of St John's, Halifax Street, Adelaide. Tall, thin, bearded and a keen sportsman, Poole was a popular preacher, fearless in denouncing commercial and sexual immorality, and with 'the reputation of being a man without cant … who is not above taking an occasional glass of whisky, and who would not express unbounded indignation if asked to participate in a game of billiards or cards'.  He was a lecturer in the classics; he conducted a school for choirboys; was chaplain to the Adelaide hospital, gaol and destitute asylum; and  was one of South Australia's first clerical Freemasons, helping to establish the Grand Lodge of South Australia in Adelaide in 1884. His descendant Cynthia has told his incredible story of his life, from horseback priest to Canon.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederic_Slaney_Poole
  • A portfolio of paintings by artists who sailed with Cook, able men with a spirit equal to their Captain's who earned, through their talent and courage, the fame their sketches, watercolours and oils of unknown lands brought to them. Beautiful colour, sepia and black and white artworks.
  • This book is not a series of fictitious adventures of the great Captain Cook, the eighteenth century navigator and explorer, but a straightforward statement of his life and achievements. It can be classed as a biography, although Cook's life can be read as a well-written book of adventures.  There's extracts from Cook's logs describing, among other things, life in the South Pacific in the 18th century. An extraordinary narrative of life, trade and discovery, his success at preventative measures for scurvy and his ability to create long lasting respect from islanders, kings and chiefs from Tahiti to Hawaii.
  • It is December of 1944, and a detachment of American soldiers has been assigned to guard an ancient castle in Belgium inhabited by an elderly aristocrat, his young wife, and countless valuable artifacts. The soldiers virtually wait out the war - indulging in various hobbies, exploring the castle's excesses (including a replica of Venice, complete with canals and gondolas), in other words, trying to do something other than war - until a German counterattack puts them in the fray!
  • Cat; n. Small domesticated carnivorous quadruped.  This selection of writings has been presented as Nine Lives: The Kittenish; The Legendary; The Traditional; The Diabolical; The Poetical; The Domestic; The Curious; The Wild and The Last. A fabulous vintage volume for those who worship and observe cats. Illustrated with black and white photographs.
  • A presentation of hundreds of entertaining caricatures of celebrities from popular American periodicals in the first half of the twentieth century. Employing a vivid new type of portraiture based on modern design and a preoccupation with personality- based fame, master caricaturists filled the pages of newspapers and magazines with renderings of Mae West, George Gershwin, the Marx Brothers, Babe Ruth, Mussolini, and other personalities and celebrities of the day.
  • Over a hundred enigmas to solve, as well as logical puzzles, magic squares, brain teasers, riddles and more to wake up, perk up and bend the grey matter. Thrown deep into the fascinating and mysterious world of the Celts, can you dodge the traps of these tricky games and enigmas? There's no magic sickle or druid's potion to help you; rather a (hopefully) alert mind, a little reflection and a lot of cunning will be needed to get to the bottom of these Celtic enigmas.
  • A dashing tale of Prince Charles Edward, the Pretender when he returns to France weary and heartbroken  after the failure of '45. He is frustrated at every turn, invoved with love and intrigues and forced to wander through Europe on the hopeless quest for help to begin a new rising in order to regain his throne.  This was Boileau's final book;  she died before completing it and it was subsequently finished by Baxter Ellis.
  • The sequel to The Broad Highway. This is the story of the fiery Charmian's love for her husband and reckless son - and the passion her beauty arouses in two ruthless men. Charmian, now in her forties and a great deal more wary and wise, is still a great beauty and not afraid to gamble life and honor in a sinister and perilous game. While in Paris, young Richard Vibart, son of Sir Peter and Lady Charmian, receives a challenge from Henri Willoughby-Gafton, a famous duelist whom Richard has slapped for speaking lightly of Lady Charmian. When Sir Peter hears of it he hurries to Paris, while Charmian - with a plan of her own - follows secretly. But is  Henri Willoughby-Gafton the real villain? Mr. Bob Meadows, the valet from The Broad Highway also makes a reappearance. Set during the Regency.

  • Three men on the run take Petra Gwinson and her sick mother as hostages.  A nightmare journey ends in a tiny outback settlement in Australia's northern Queensland.  The robbers are plagued by setbacks as everyone plots against them. The stranded men become more desperate and finally, the old blind Aboriginal Narli wreaks revenge as the men, in a frightening chase on a stormy night, fight for survival.
  • The true and unforgettable story of the Gilbreth clan as told by two of its members. In this endearing and amusing memoir, siblings Frank Jr. and Ernestine capture the hilarity and heart of growing up in an oversized family. Mother and Dad are world-renowned efficiency experts, helping factories fine-tune their assembly lines for maximum output at minimum cost. At home, the Gilbreths themselves have twelve kids and Dad can prove demonstrably - well, almost! - that efficiency principles can apply to family life as well as the workplace. Made into a film (1950) with Clifton Webb and Myrna Loy as Dad and Mum Gilbreth and remade in 2003. (See the original, it's funnier!)
  • The true and truly unforgettable story of the Gilbreth clan as told by two of its members. In this endearing, amusing memoir, siblings Frank Jr. and Ernestine capture the hilarity and heart of growing up in an oversized family. Mother and Dad are world-renowned efficiency experts, helping factories fine-tune their assembly lines for maximum output at minimum cost. At home, the Gilbreths themselves have twelve kids and Dad can prove demonstrably - well, almost! - that efficiency principles can apply to family life as well as the workplace. Made into a film (1950) with Clifton Webb and Myrna Loy as Dad and Mum Gilbreth and remade in 2003. (See the original, it's funnier!)
  • Set in an orphanage founded by an archbishop, the story opens on the No 14 bus trundling through London.  The reader is given the background on most of the bus passengers -  shadowy figures that play but a brief role - save one. A young woman who leaves the bus and disappears into the fog to the orphanage where she leaves a warmly wrapped baby on the doorstep. She kisses the child and leaves and all that is left is this new born child with a label attached to the shawl saying "Sweetie". And so Sweetie's life in St Mark's Orphanage begins.  It is not a harsh, Dickensian place - the children are well cared for and it is run by Canon Mallow, sweet-natured, kind and slightly inept. He loves all the children but he is soon to retire and his place is taken by a new appointee, Dr Samuel Trump who is determined that St Mark's will be run efficiently - on proper lines - and he is appalled at the inefficiency and disorganisation he sees before him.  Sweetie and Ginger, a real holy terror, strike up a friendship. Ginger is always up to all sorts of mischief and tricks who even manages to climb over the wall at night and go 'up West' on forays into the big wide world.   He is the bane of Dr Trump's life as no amount of punishment or detentions seem to have any effect on him whatsoever and Sweetie, who has an adventurous streak in her as well, causes a lot of upset for the new Warden.  https://cosmiccauldronbooks.com.au/p/london-belongs-to-me-norman-collins-2/
  • Those interested in 8 mm, 9.5 mm or 16 mm - or those who may still even have one - will find this book of practical value, full of sound, expert advice and instruction on every aspect of this art. The principles of projection and the mechanics of the individual projector are discussed clearly and simply, step by step and the reader is introduced to methods to ensure a smooth running projection technique. Illustrated.
  • E.W. Cole began a small publishing and second-hand book selling business in 1865. By 1873 he had opened the first incarnation of his book arcade, with the recognisable rainbow arch facade. The Cole's Book Arcade became one of the great iconic stores of Melbourne in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Cole's Funny Picture Book was first published in 1879, being sold from the Book Arcade for 1/- and selling a thousand copies that Christmas. The book is divided into fanciful magical 'Lands'; Girl Land, Picture Puzzle Land, Santa Claus Land etc. It  also  features the Cole's Patent Whipping Machine for Flogging Naughty Boys (wildly politically incorrect now!) Re-printed and re-edited many times and often with new content added, the book was in its 48th edition with 230 pages and over 400,000 copies had been printed by November 1918.  All Australian kids looked for their Cole's Funny Picture Book every Christmas. As well as all the different 'Lands' to explore, there's puzzles, games, riddles, little moral tales on not being selfish, information about other countries and all manner of Victoriana. With fabulous black and white fine line illustrations and some color pages.
  • A remarkable man, E. W. Cole, the self-styled "Professor", compiled this amazing picture book in 1879 and released it in a  welter of hilarious advertising in time for Christmas. He it was who invented Girl Land, Laziness Land, the fabulous steam-driven Whipping Machine For Naughty Boys, the Scolding Machine for Naughty Girls and a list of over 100 Names Suitable for Dollies and Babies. There's puzzles and games, wise words about people and places, funny words about travelling and husbands and wives.  Now wildly politically incorrect - and who cares?  It's Cole's Funny Picture Book, an Australian institution, looked for in stockings on Christmas Day for decades. There's plenty of gentleness, love, humour and morals. This facsimile edition has been carefully edited to resemble, as nearly as possible, the klast edition in  Cole's lifetime.  Illustrated.