Adventures in bibliophilia. While visiting the wonderful second hand bookshop BooBooks in Armidale the other week I was tempted by a 1st Edition of EJ Banfields Last Leaves from Dunk Island. The temptation increased when I saw in a childs hand the dedication to Daddy followed by the names Judith, Bruce and Peter. There, too, was the original Armidale booksellers stamp. A quick consultation of the online Australian Dictionary of Biography confirmed my hunch that this was Judith Wrights Christmas present to her father - probably chosen by the well-read 11 year old and on behalf of her younger brothers. The date 1925 means the gift was likely prompted by the familys recent cruise north to SE Asia, taken as a last attempt to improve her mothers health. Ethel Wright died the following year. Last Leaves is double the treasure because of its provenance.
Posted on: Sat, 31 May 2014 04:03:00 +0000
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