Songs of Central Australia by T G H Strehlow (4 results)

Hardcover. Condition: Near fine. Dust Jacket Included. First Edition. Sydney, Angus and Robertson, 1971. Quarto, liv, 775 pages plus a colour frontispiece, a large folding map (885 × 685 mm) in an endpocket, and a tipped-in corrigenda slip at page [xi]. Original blind-decorated brown cloth; text paper lightly tanned as ever; minimal signs of handling; a near-fine copy with the very good price-clipped colour-pictorial dustwrapper (chipped with slight loss to the head of the front joint, with a few very short closed tears). The detailed four-colour map of Aboriginal Central Australia is based on information from Strehlow's field note books, 1932-1969; an extensive index is printed on the verso. 'The first complete account of the poetic heritage of the aboriginal people of Central Australia; an analysis of aboriginal songs as fully-developed oral literature, and their evaluation as authoritative documents of aboriginal religion' (from the original prospectus). One of only 500 copies of the original release, perennially scarce and, more importantly, of perennial interest.

Hardcover. Condition: Near fine. First Edition. Sydney, Angus and Robertson, 1971. Quarto, liv, 775 pages plus a colour frontispiece, a large folding map (885 × 685 mm) in an endpocket and a tipped-in corrigenda slip at page [xi]. Original blind-decorated brown cloth; light foxing to the top and leading edges, with minimal foxing to a few scattered leaves; text paper lightly tanned as ever; three-digit number written in black marker pen in the top corner of the front free endpaper; notwithstanding, this is a near-fine copy with the near-fine unclipped colour-pictorial dustwrapper, with a few tiny surface chips (almost invariably encountered) here expertly recoloured. The detailed four-colour map of Aboriginal Central Australia is based on information from Strehlow's field note books, 1932-1969; an extensive index is printed on the verso. 'The first complete account of the poetic heritage of the aboriginal people of Central Australia; an analysis of aboriginal songs as fully-developed oral literature, and their evaluation as authoritative documents of aboriginal religion' (from the original prospectus). One of only 500 copies of the original release, perennially scarce and, more importantly, of perennial interest.

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Included. First Edition. Sydney, Angus and Robertson, 1971. Quarto, liv, 775 pages plus a colour frontispiece, a large folding map (885 × 685 mm) in an endpocket and a tipped-in corrigenda slip at page [xi]. Original blind-decorated brown cloth; minimal light foxing to the top edge; text paper lightly tanned as ever; a very fine copy with the near-fine unclipped dustwrapper very lightly scuffed, with a few minute surface chips to the edges, and a tiny closed tear to the top edge of the front cover. These trifling blemishes are insignificant to a fault: suffice to say, we have sold over thirty copies of this book since the late 1970s, and we have yet to see one better. And while we are singing its praises . the half-title of this copy is signed in ink by the author ('T.G.H. Strehlow'). The detailed four-colour map of Aboriginal Central Australia is based on information from Strehlow's field note books, 1932-1969; an extensive index is printed on the verso. 'The first complete account of the poetic heritage of the aboriginal people of Central Australia; an analysis of aboriginal songs as fully-developed oral literature, and their evaluation as authoritative documents of aboriginal religion' (from the original prospectus). One of only 500 copies of the original release, perennially scarce and, more importantly, of perennial interest.

Sydney : Angus and Robertson, 1971. Quarto, pictorial dustjacket over cloth (price clipped), liv, 775 pp, colour illustrations, map in pocket inside back cover. A fine copy, with some mild foxing to the endpapers and light edge wear. One of only 500 copies printed. An extremely important study of the poetic and musical culture of the Arrernte (Aranda) people of Central Australia. The anthropologist T.G.H. Strehlow, who had grown up at Hermannsburg Mission with his father, Pastor Carl Strehlow, was a fluent speaker of the Arrernte language, and the special fonts which he required to be created for this book caused much difficulty in the publication process. This monumental volume is essentially Strehlow's D. Litt. thesis (University of Adelaide).