Wilkes, John, 1727-1797. (ed.)  

The North Briton. / edited by John Wilkes, (London : Printed for G. Kearsley, 1762-1771)

Wilkes in fact edited only nos. 1-46 (June 5, 1762- 12 Nov. 1763) Publication was interrupted by the seizure and suppression of issue no. 45 (Apr. 23, 1763).

This project was financed by the connoisseur and bibliophile, Horace Walpole. The illustrations are by Richard Bentley (1708-1782), the son of Richard Bentley the classical scholar. The volume on display is open at the engraving for Gray’s “Ode on the death of a favourite cat, drowned in a tub of gold fishes.”

The Keepsake for ... (London : Hurst, Chance and Co., 1827-1857)

From the 1820s to the middle of the century there was a craze for literary annuals and gift books. These offered the reader stories, travel sketches, and poems illustrated with steel engravings. Among the authors we find such names as Wordsworth and Coleridge, and behind such epithets as “The author of Waverley” and “The author of Frankenstein” lie hidden Sir Walter Scott and Mary Shelley.

We have collected a wide range of these. They were available in a variety of styles. On display is a large-paper set of The Keepsake uniformly bound in red morocco.

Punch's pocket book : for ... , containing ruled pages for cash accounts and memoranda for every day in the year; an almanack and a variety of useful business information. (London : Punch Office).

This is a collection of cuts illustrating the popular song, “Fly me to the moon”.

Aileen Brown produces handmade books of coloured linocuts. Her art is in the tradition of Margaret Preston. The volume is presented, wrapped in printed cloth and tied with decorative linen tape.

As part of our policy to collect children’s books, we collect annuals and gift books. We have on display a sample of some of the types of annuals in the collection. There are examples of the Boys Own and Girls Own as well as Chums and the Australian equivalent, Pals. We see one of E. W. Cole’s annuals, Cole’s Empire Picture Annual for Little Australians. There are movie annuals, TV tie-ins, and pop annuals. There is a left-wing annual, the Red Corner Book, meant to inculcate the children of radicals in their parent’s politics; it appears only to have lasted one year.

G., M.
Australia / by M. G. (London : Castell Brothers, [189-?])

An example of a chromo-lithographed shapebook, die-cut in the shape of Australia, printed in Bavaria, with rhyming verse by M. G., designed to promote travel to Australia from England, possibly during the mid to late 1890's.

Rentoul, Annie R. (Annie Rattray)
Fairyland of Ida Rentoul Outhwaite / verses by Annie R. Rentoul ; stories by Grenbry Outhwaite and Annie R. Rentoul. (London : A. & C. Black Ltd, 1931) Donated by Alexandra Michell.

Pixie O’Harris was one of the many Australian children’s book illustrators to be influenced by Ida Rentoul Outhwaite. This copy of Marmaduke the possum includes a presentation inscription and a full-page ink sketch of a girl meeting two fairies in the bush.

This is one of twenty copies of a limited edition. It presents traditional Aboriginal recipes and is illustrated with designs by Aboriginal artists.

Emile Mercier was French, born in New Caledonia. He moved to Australia in 1919, studied art at the Julian Aston Art School, and worked as a cartoonist on Smith’s Weekly, the Bulletin, and Truth. From 1949 he worked full-time as cartoonist for the Sydney Sun.

To quote from Bonzer: Australian comics 1900s to 1990s, “Mercier’s cartoons depicted the little comedies of urban life and were full of local slang.” (p. 122)

Jacquin, Noel, 1893-1974.
[Palmistry work-book] [manuscript] / Noel Jacquin.

This is Jacquin’s record of the palms he inspected during the 1930s. It includes over 100 photographs and palm-prints, many accompanied by manuscript interpretations. Also included are a number of copies of letters from Jacquin giving explanations of particular palm-prints.

Australia was one of the countries from which young people left to join the International Brigade. The Melbourne writers Nettie and Vance Palmer were active in promoting the cause. Their daughter, Aileen, was one of the women who served.

Prichard was a medical doctor who published widely on such topics as insanity, but he is best remembered as one of the founders of the science of ethnology. His Researches into the physical history of mankind first appeared in one volume in 1813 and grew to five volumes in the later editions.

Vexin, Noel.
Murder in Montmartre. Translated from French by Jonas Berry [i.e. John Ashbery] and Lawrence G. Blochman. (New York : Dell, 1960) Translation of Champagne obligatoire.  

Manceron, Genevieve.
The deadlier sex. Translated by Jonas Berry [i.e. John Ashbery], and Lawrence G. Blochman. (New York : Dell, 1961) Translation of La biche. [Copy signed by John Ashbery.]

Ginsberg, Allen, 1926-1997.
Reality sandwiches, 1953-60. New ed. (San Francisco] City Lights Books 1970, c1966)

Allen Ginsberg toured Australia in 1971. This is a copy of one of his characteristic, small quarto, City Lights books. It was given to Brian Moore, an Australian who played guitar with Ginsberg on that tour, and includes an ink-sketch of three intertwined fishes with Ginsberg’s explanation of the eastern religious symbolism, and his signature.

“George Egerton” was the pseudonym of Mary Chavelita Bright, born Chavelita Dunne, in Australia in 1859. She travelled abroad, living in Norway with Henry Higginson, a married clergyman. After Higginson’s death in 1889 she returned to England and married George Egerton Clairmonte, taking his first two names as her peudonym.

Gascoyne, David, 1916-
Poems : 1937-1942 / David Gascoyne, with drawings by Graham Sutherland. (London : PL Editions, 1943)

Arnold, Mary.
Let's drive better than men / by Mary Arnold. [Melbourne?] : Vacuum Oil, [1932?]

The question of the skills of lady drivers is still a topic for debate. This book begins with a page of quotes from a motoring paper dated January 1904, which were, on the whole, favourable to female drivers. Mary Arnold however, saw as her brief to update the image and encourage women to enjoy their motoring without feeling intimidated.

The Cantrills

On display is a copy of a hand-produced ‘zine, Archduke, by the performance poet, Jas, A. Duke, and a letter to the Cantrills from Duke. The letter is composed in different coloured inks, as is the ‘zine. We also see a poem and accompanying page of graphics by the Melbourne writer, James Clayden.

The Saturday Evening Post, (Philadelphia, Curtis Publishing Co., 1839-)

We have on display three magazines which feature Susan Peacock (now Susan Renouf). The issue of the Women’s Weekly for 3 December 1969 has her on the cover and has a spread on her wardrobe. She was married to Andrew Peacock, the 30 year old Minister for the Army in the Gorton government. The article gives details of how the couple met and their involvement in Liberal Party politics. Susan was the daughter of John Rossiter, the Minister for Labor and Industry in the Victorian Parliament.

Susan appeared in her tennis outfit on the cover of the Women’s Weekly of 1 January 1975. The story centred on her challenge match with former US tennis star, Bobby Riggs. At the time Riggs was 57 and Susan 32. Riggs was making much of his challenges to the top Women players of the time. He had beaten Margaret Court, but had been soundly beaten by Billie Jean King. The match with Susan Peacock took place on Centre Court at Kooyong on 4 January. It was declared a tie at 3 all.

Screens

Pulp fiction

The screens feature colour reproductions of covers of pulp fiction titles in the collection.

We collect widely in this area. On display are examples from the fields of lesbian fiction from the fifties and sixties, and detective fiction from the thirties and forties.

Also on display on the screens are posters from some of our previous exhibitions.