Collecting Old Bush Poetry Books
Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2016 7:23 am
Collecting old bush poetry books can be a satisfying and rewarding experience.
Satisfying because at times I find that you can rescue books and other important poetry-author's material from an uncertain fate and occasionally restore them as well. I tend to think that is an important thing for Australian literature and for a (hopefully grateful) future generation of Australians.
Rewarding because if you gain pleasure from reading bush poetry, you can find a great world of entertainment there too.
For example, here are four of my most recent additions.
From a bush poetry perspective, I hope they are of some interest.
1. The Flour Bin. Henry Lawson. 1955. Booklet. Published, signed and inscribed by Walter Stone. One of a limited number of only 100 copies published by Walter Stone to mark the occasion of the Annual Book Collectors' Society dinner. He published his first books using a hand press in a shed in the back yard of his Cremorne home, under the imprint of Talkarra (from the Arrernte word for stone) Press. This is one of those books from that shed and hence is precious as well as charming. In 1956 he established the Wentworth Press.
2. The Warrumbungle Mare and Other Poems. Charles Shaw 1943. Good fun poetry, tightly written. Clearly in the Paterson style and there is nothing wrong with that! Enjoyable.
3. A Bush Idyl. Kenneth Mackay 1888, first edition. A beautifully presented book with very flowery language. Not easily read, but highly collectible as an addition to a bush poetry library. I mean, it is 1888, no cars around and only a few years after they hung old Ned Kelly. Oddly I have another bush poetry book of exactly the same title written by Alfred T. Chandler, 1886 first edition, and it is far more readable.
4. Collected verse of A. B. Paterson. Signed and dated by Banjo Paterson himself. 30th November 1931. This book was previously owned by Banjo's first cousin Nathaniel Barton and it came down to me that way through that branch of the Paterson family. Banjo's signature is rarer than Lawson's.
Just when you think there is nothing else worthwhile around, an intriguing bush poetry book drifts past and you just have to have it. It used to be that if I did not like the poems I would not buy it. Now I am a bit more flexible and see some books for their historical as well as their literary content.
Those old bush poets' voices really seem to speak to you over the years.
If anyone has any interesting books, it would be good to see photos of them here.
Satisfying because at times I find that you can rescue books and other important poetry-author's material from an uncertain fate and occasionally restore them as well. I tend to think that is an important thing for Australian literature and for a (hopefully grateful) future generation of Australians.
Rewarding because if you gain pleasure from reading bush poetry, you can find a great world of entertainment there too.
For example, here are four of my most recent additions.
From a bush poetry perspective, I hope they are of some interest.
1. The Flour Bin. Henry Lawson. 1955. Booklet. Published, signed and inscribed by Walter Stone. One of a limited number of only 100 copies published by Walter Stone to mark the occasion of the Annual Book Collectors' Society dinner. He published his first books using a hand press in a shed in the back yard of his Cremorne home, under the imprint of Talkarra (from the Arrernte word for stone) Press. This is one of those books from that shed and hence is precious as well as charming. In 1956 he established the Wentworth Press.
2. The Warrumbungle Mare and Other Poems. Charles Shaw 1943. Good fun poetry, tightly written. Clearly in the Paterson style and there is nothing wrong with that! Enjoyable.
3. A Bush Idyl. Kenneth Mackay 1888, first edition. A beautifully presented book with very flowery language. Not easily read, but highly collectible as an addition to a bush poetry library. I mean, it is 1888, no cars around and only a few years after they hung old Ned Kelly. Oddly I have another bush poetry book of exactly the same title written by Alfred T. Chandler, 1886 first edition, and it is far more readable.
4. Collected verse of A. B. Paterson. Signed and dated by Banjo Paterson himself. 30th November 1931. This book was previously owned by Banjo's first cousin Nathaniel Barton and it came down to me that way through that branch of the Paterson family. Banjo's signature is rarer than Lawson's.
Just when you think there is nothing else worthwhile around, an intriguing bush poetry book drifts past and you just have to have it. It used to be that if I did not like the poems I would not buy it. Now I am a bit more flexible and see some books for their historical as well as their literary content.
Those old bush poets' voices really seem to speak to you over the years.
If anyone has any interesting books, it would be good to see photos of them here.
