lamdha books -
Catalogue of Australian children's books

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95265 Baker, Jeannie Circle: signed Walker Books, London, 2016. Square quarto hardcover; illustrated blue boards with blue endpapers; unpaginated with colour illustrations. Inscribed in ink to owner on title page. Minor wear only; fine. No dustwrapper. Click here to order $25

91899 Downing, Brownie Children of the Dreaming Thomas Nelson, Melbourne, 1966. First edition. Quarto hardcover; illustrated white boards; unpaginated with colour illustrations. Minor wear; board edges slightly worn and corners and spine panel extremities bumped with tiny scrapes, very slight browning to edges. Very good otherwise. No dustwrapper. Click here to order $50

39053 Friend, Donald Coogan's Gully A Young Person's Guide to Bushranging, Ecology and Witchcraft Gryphon Books, Melbourne, 1979. Oblong quarto hardcover; yellow boards with gilt upper board and spine titling, blue illustrated endpapers; 58pp., colour illustrations. Minor wear; rear panel edges and spine of dustwrapper faded. Otherwise near fine. 'Once in a while Dan Coogan and his gang would grow tired of robbing stage-coaches, banks and goldmines. They'd stay home a while and work improving the land by ringbarking trees. They were good at that, too.' The story of Coogan's Gully with Bold Dan Coogan and his victim's widow turned witch. Click here to order $30

214765 Gibbs, May Boronia Babies Angus and Robertson Publishers, Sydney NSW, 1982. Octavo; paperback, stapled booklet; unpaginated (26pp.), with a colour frontispiece. Mild wear; covers a little scraped and edgeworn. Very good. Click here to order $15

30057 Gibbs, May, & Maureen Walsh The May Gibbs Collection "Mother of the Gumnuts - Her Life and Work" & "Gumnut Classics - The Famous Gumnut Adventures" Angus & Robertson Publishers, North Ryde NSW, 1985. First edition: two volumes, quarto; hardcover, quarter-bound in cloth with green ribbons; 724pp. [228pp. + 496pp.], with many colour and monochrome illustrations. Minor wear. Dustwrappers lightly rubbed; spine panel head of Volume 2 pulled; now professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film. Near fine in a like, gilt-titled and decorated slipcase. Click here to order $75

89284 Greenwood, Ted Joseph and Lulu and the Prindiville House Pigeons Angus & Robertson (Publishers) Pty. Ltd., Cremorne NSW, 1972. First edition. Quarto; hardcover, with illustrated boards; unpaginated (48pp.), with many illustrations. Minor wear; slightly rolled; some mild spotting to the text block edges; some moderate marks to the pages. Price-clipped dustwrapper is rubbed and edgeworn with some small tears to the upper and lower panel edges; now backed by archival-quality white paper and professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film. Very good. Click here to order $15

97390 Hall, J.J. (Dorothy Wall, illus.) The Crystal Bowl Australian Nature Stories Whitcombe & Tombs Ltd., Melbourne Vic., nd. (c.1922). Quarto; hardcover, with illustrated upper board; 64pp., with a colour frontispiece, many monochrome illustrations, 7 colour plates and 8 monochrome plates. Moderate wear; shaken; spine extremities softened and corners bumped; boards rubbed with some marks and spine sunned with some spots; text block edges toned with some spotting; offset to the endpapers; light scattered foxing throughout; previous owner's ink inscriptions to the front pastedown and the verso of the flyleaf; previous owner's bookplate to the verso of the flyleaf; some small tears to the some of the page edges. Lacks dustwrapper. Good to very good. Click here to order $45

202550 Hearn, Lian Brilliance of the Moon Tales of the Otori Book 3 Hodder Headline (Aust.) Pty. Ltd., Sydney NSW, 2004. First edition: octavo; hardcover, with metallic purple spine titles and decorative endpapers; 401pp., with a map and some other monochrome decorations. Mild wear; pages and text block edges toned. Dustwrapper lightly rubbed and edgeworn (now professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film). Very good. Click here to order $25

202295 Hearn, Lian Grass for His Pillow Tales of the Otori Book 2 Hodder Headline (Aust.) Pty. Ltd., Sydney NSW, 2003. First edition: octavo; hardcover, with silver-gilt spine titles and decorative endpapers; 354pp., with a map and some other monochrome decorations. Mild wear; pages and text block edges fairly toned with some spotting. Dustwrapper now professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film. Near fine. Click here to order $25

215571 Heylen, Jill & Celia Jellett (illus. Kerry Argent) Someone is Flying Balloons: Australian Poems for Children Omnibus, Adelaide, 1983. Quarto hardcover; mauve-brown boards with gilt spine titling, orange endpapers; 136pp., colour & b&w illustrations. Mild spotting to upper text block edge. Otherwise minor wear, near fine in like dustwrapper now professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film. Newspaper cutting laid in. Click here to order $17

68931 Holden, Robert A Golden Age: A Treasury of Australian Children's Fantasy Classics - two volumes "Visions of Fantasy - Australia's Fantasy illustrators; Their Lives and Works"; & "Through the Magic Door - A Collection of Australia's Classic Fantasy Writing" Angus & Robertson/harperCollins Publishers (Aus6t.) Pty. Ltd., Pymble NSW, 1992. Two volumes: quarto; hardcover, with decorative endpapers and burgundy ribbons; 647pp. [192pp. + 455pp.], with many monochrome and colour illustrations. Mild wear; corners bumped and spine extremities lightly softened. Dustwrappers mildly rubbed and scuffed. Very good in a lightly worn, illustrated slipcase. A Golden Age is a treasury of Australian children's fantasy classics. In two lavish and beautifully presented companion volumes, it celebrates an unrivalled era in Australian fantasy writing and illustration. In 'Visions of Fantasy' author Robert Holden brings together such diverse illustrators as Outhwaite, Souter, May Gibbs, Norman Lindsay and Harold Gaze. Accompanied by delicately crafted illustrations, many of which have been taken from previously unpublished original works, Holden introduces the lives and works of some of the best and lesser-known Australian fantasy illustrators. 'Through the Magic Door' is an anthology of Australian classics selected and introduced by the author. Here, the text is highlighted for its originality and energy in first establishing a golden era in Australian fantasy writing for children. A very significant publication by one of Australia's leading librarians. Click here to order $75

91586 Kemsley, James It's Sunday, Ginger Meggs: signed copy Angus & Robertson, Sydney, 1987. Signed paperback; octavo; 138pp., monochrome illustrations. Mild toning to text block edges. Near fine otherwise. Click here to order $15

86516 Lister, Gladys The Little Round Garden - signed Angus & Robertson, Sydney, 1946. Third edition. Hardcover, small quarto; quarter bound cream papered boards with blue cloth spine; black spine titling and green upper board illustration and titling; green and cream illustrated endpapers; 111pp., colour frontispiece & dark red and white illustration and type. Inscribed in ink to owner thus: "This is my garden in the spring, Gladys Lister" on half-title page. Minor wear; mild wear to lower board edges and corners; toning and spotting to text block edges. Yellow illustrated dustwrapper; rear panel and inner flap edges mildly foxed; tiny missing segments at corners and head of spine with small tear on upper rear spine edge; spine mildly faded. Very good and protected in archival film with white paper backing. Click here to order $60

14586 Maltby, Peg Peg's Fairy Book Angus & Robertson, Sydney, 1975. Quarto hardcover; orange boards with white centre board and spine titling, orange and white illustrated endpapers; unpaginated with full colour illustrations as well as monochrome line drawings. Minor wear; mild rubbing and wear to board edges and corners. Illustrated dustwrapper with wear to upper edges; some tiny tears and missing segments at head of spine panel and upper front corner; small tear at corner; very mild sunning to spine. Very good otherwise and wrapper now protected in archival film with white paper backing. Click here to order $65

98737 Muir, Marcie & Robert Holden The Fairy World of Ida Rentoul Outwaite Craftsman House, Roseville East, 1996. Quarto paperback, 171pp., monochrome illustrations. Slightly foxed cover verso and half-title page; mild rubbing and edgewear to covers; very slightly faded spine. Otherwise very good to near fine. Click here to order $35

91500 O'Harris, Pixie The Pixie O. Harris Fairy Book Stories and Verse by Lynette Yardley, Gwen M. Cock, Eva Lawton, Pixie O. Harris Rigby Ltd. Publishers, Adelaide SA, 1981. Small folio; staple-sewn gatefold paperback, with gilt titling to the front cover and a tipped-on full-colour illustration; 63pp., with a tipped-in full-colour frontispiece, another plate likewise, two duotone illustrations and many other monochrome illustrations and decorations. Minor wear; some spotting to the text block top edge; previous owner's ink inscription to the top of the second page; some offset to the dedications page. Dustwrapper mildly spotted with some edgewear and a small tear to the spine tail; previous owner's ink inscription to the top edge of the upper panel. Very good. Click here to order $45

89291 Pearson, Margaret Mary The Story of Australia Australasian Publishing Co. Pty. Ltd., Sydney NSW, 1946. First Australian edition: landscape quarto; hardcover, with illustrated boards and endpapers; 85pp., all hand-lettered, with many full-colour illustrations. Moderate wear; some minor offsetting to the endpapers; spine extremities softened; some minor edgewear to the boards; text block edges toned. Dustwrapper is well-rubbed and sunned; large chips missing from the spine panel extremities and the edges of the upper panel and flap-turns; some old tape stains; now backed by archival-quality paper and professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film. Very good. Click here to order $30

92407 Rentoul, Annie, & Ida Rentoul Outhwaite (illus.) The Lady of the Blue Beads Angus & Robertson, North Ryde NSW, 1987. Reprint: quarto; hardcover, with decorative endpapers; 89pp., with many colour & monochrome illustrations. Minor wear; board edges lightly scuffed; lightly toned text block edges; some rubbing to the flyleaf. Dustwrapper is well rubbed with light edgewear; a small tear along the hinge from the head of the spine panel; now backed by archival-quality white paper and professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film. Very good. Click here to order $25

11000 Saxby, H.M. A History of Australian Children's Literature 1841-1941 & 1941-1970: Two volumes Wentworth Books, Sydney NSW, 1969. Two volumes. Hardcover, octavos; brown boards with silver gilt spine titling; 212pp & 316pp., monochrome plates & supplementary chapters in Volume 2 by Marjorie Cotton. Owner's name in each volume. Minor wear; offsetting to endpapers and half-title pages; lightly browned and spotted text block edges; rubbing to dustwrappers; edgewear and faded spine and front edges of first volume. Otherwise very good with wrappers now professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film. Mr Saxby has systematically examined the complete range of fiction available to Australian children during the first hundred years of the nation's existence against the prevailing social and educational conditions and has determined the degree to which they met the defined needs and interests of children. It is the first comprehensive analysis of children's literature against a rigorous framework of human development conceived in terms of the more recent psychological findings of Maslow, Frank, Kaplan and others. Click here to order $50

89290 Spowers, E.L. Cuthbert and the Dogs Digest Juvenile Productions, Melbourne Vic., nd. Landscape quarto; hardcover, quarter-bound in illustrated boards; unpaginated (32pp.), with many full-colour and monochrome illustrations. Moderate wear; corners bumped and frayed; a sticker ghost and some pencilling to the lower board; some colouring-in and pencilled marginalia; some internal marks and offsetting to the endpapers; a sympathetic professional repair to the middle pages. Very good. Click here to order $900

67804 Tan, Shaun Tales from Outer Suburbia Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest NSW, 2008. Reprint: quarto; hardcover, with illustrated boards and decorative endpapers; 96pp., with many colour illustrations. Minor wear. No dustwrapper as issued. Near fine. Click here to order $20

89273 Thiele, Colin (illus. Clifton Pugh) Yellow Jacket Jock F.W. Cheshire, Melbourne, 1969. First edition. Quarto hardcover; blue boards with silver gilt spine titling and illustrated endpapers; unpaginated, with colour illustrations. Minor wear; toned and spotted text block edges. Very good to near fine in like illustrated dustwrapper. Click here to order $22

47947 "W.A.C." (William Alexander Cawthorne) Who Killed Cockatoo? Casurina Press, Surrey Hills Vic., 1978. Octavo; hardcover with illustrated boards; 25pp. [i-ivpp. + 1-19pp. + 2 Blank], with monochrome engravings. Mild wear; boards rubbed and marked; spine extremities softened; text block top edge spotted; offset to the endpapers. No dustwrapper as issued. Very good. Facsimile reprint of one of the earliest children's books written, printed and published in Australia. Click here to order $25

200427 Wagner, Jenny & Karl Homes Hannibal Childerset, Melbourne Vic., 1976. First edition: quarto hardcover; illustrated boards; unpaginated with colour illustrations. Slight wear to board edges with tiny tear on front fore-edge; mild offsetting to pastedown. Very good. No dustwrapper. Click here to order $25

92222 Wakefield, S.A. (Desmond Digby, illus.) Gumbles on Guard William Collins Publishers Pty. Ltd., Sydney NSW, 1978. Second edition: octavo; hardcover, with gilt spine-titles and upper board decoration; 88pp., with a full-colour frontispiece, three full-page illustrations likewise and many monochrome decorations. Mild wear; some scraping to the board edges and spine extremities; toning to the text block edges; previous owner's ink inscriptions and stamps to the front endpapers. Mild rubbing to the dustwrapper with some chips to the flap-turns; now backed by archival-quality white paper and professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film. Very good to near fine. Click here to order $18

72493 Wakefield, S.A. (Julie Mac, illus.) Captain Deadlight's Treasure - signed copy Angus & Robertson, 1990. Signed hardcover, octavo, 181pp., monochrome line drawings by Julie Mac. Blue board edges and corners lightly scraped and frayed; toned text block edges; dustwrapper chipped at corners and upper spine extremity. Very good and professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film. Click here to order $30

212918 Wall, Dorothy Blinky Bill The Quaint Little Australian Angus & Robertson Ltd., Sydney NSW, 1933. First edition: royal octavo; hardcover, with upper board titles and decorations; 72pp., with a colour frontispiece, 13 monochrome plates and many illustrations likewise. Moderate wear; slightly rolled; spine extremities softened; boards rubbed and edgeworn with some bumping and minor marks; text block edges toned; offset to the preliminaries; light scattered foxing throughout; previous owner's ink inscription to the flyleaf. No dustwrapper. Very good. Click here to order $500

59525 Wrightson, Patricia Balyet Century Hutchinson Australia Pty. Ltd., Surry Hills NSW, 1989. First edition: octavo; hardcover, with illustrated boards; 102pp. Mild wear; boards rubbed; spine extremities softened; corners of the lower board bumped; text block edges toned with some spotting; previous owner's name in ink to the flyleaf; faint offset to the endpapers. No dustwrapper. Very good. Click here to order $17

30753 Wrightson, Patricia A Little Fear Hutchinson, Hawthorn, 1983. First edition. Octavo hardcover; blue boards with silver gilt spine titling; 110pp. Few small stains, offsetting to endpapers with some occasional mild scattered spotting thereafter; toned and spotted text block; front board slightly fanned. Blue illustrated dustwrapper with some wear and scraping at spine panel extremities, chipping at corners. Good. Wrapper now professionally protected by superior non-adhesive polypropylene film with white paper backing. Click here to order $15