49 THE PYCROFT COLLECTION OF RARE BOOKS Arthur Thomas Pycroft ART + OBJECT (1875–1971) 3 Abbey Street Arthur Pycroft was the “essential gentleman amateur”. Newton Auckland Like many other lay enthusiasts, he made considerable PO Box 68 345 contributions as a naturalist, scholar, historian and Newton conservationist. Auckland 1145 He was educated at the Church of England Grammar Telephone: +64 9 354 4646 School in Parnell, Auckland’s first grammar school, where his Freephone: 0 800 80 60 01 father Henry Thomas Pycroft a Greek and Hebrew scholar Facsimile: +64 9 354 4645 was the headmaster between 1883 and 1886. The family [email protected] lived in the headmaster’s residence now known as “Kinder www.artandobject.co.nz House”. He then went on to Auckland Grammar School. On leaving school he joined the Auckland Institute in 1896, remaining a member Previous spread: for 75 years, becoming President in 1935 and serving on the Council for over 40 years. Lots, clockwise from top left: 515 Throughout this time he collaborated as a respected colleague with New Zealand’s (map), 521, 315, 313, 513, 507, foremost men of science, naturalists and museum directors of his era. 512, 510, 514, 518, 522, 520, 516, 519, 517 From an early age he developed a “hands on” approach to all his interests and corresponded with other experts including Sir Walter Buller regarding his rediscovery Rear cover: of the Little Black Shag and other species which were later included in Buller’s 1905 Lot 11 Supplement. New Zealand’s many off shore islands fascinated him and in the summer of 1903-04 he spent nearly six weeks on Taranga (Hen Island), the first of several visits. He also visited Little Barrier in 1928, the Kermadecs with Guthrie Smith in 1929 and in 1932 travelled on an expedition to Melanesia. The garden of his St Heliers home hosted superb examples of the Poor Knight’s Lily (Xeronema) in addition to other rare botanical species. When Sir Robert Falla named a newly discovered species of petrel (Pterodroma pycrofti) it was in recognition of Arthur Pycroft’s long service to ornithology and his organisation of the expedition to Hen Island where the birds had been discovered. He was also a member of the “Moa Searching Committee” among whose objectives were to seek evidence that moas of one species or another had been hunted by the Polynesian invaders. The quest for Moa skeletons took him from Doubtless Bay to the limestone caves of the King Country and Waikaremoana where first evidence was found that a large pelican had once lived in New Zealand. Another great interest lay in Auckland and Far North regions whose history and development he studied closely for more than eight decades, an enthusiasm reflected in the rarities in his collection. Arthur Pycroft and his wife Minna, a recognised ornithological and botanical artist in her own right spent four years in England in the late 1930s, a halcyon time for Arthur who haunted antiquarian book shops in search of rare books. The sheer breadth of the collection is a reflection of the depth of all his interests, accentuated by an acutely sensitive and dedicated approach to acquisitions. The library is rich in rare books, pamphlets, manuscripts and photographs with many of the more notable items having a unique association with the personalities who helped shape early New Zealand and Pacific history. Art & Object is privileged to offer the Arthur Thomas Pycroft Collection. 2 The Pycroft Collection of Rare Books Order of Sale PART ONE POart TW Wednesday 2 November, 6.30pm Thursday 3 November, 6.30pm Antarctic and Arctic Exploration Natural History and Botany Lots 1 – 10 Lots 343 - 373 Cook’s Voyages Flax Manufacture and Cultivation Lots 11 – 22 Lots 374 – 379 Voyages and Travels Mountaineering and Recreation Lots 23 – 72 Lots 380 – 399 Australia The Tarawera Eruption and Geological Lots 73 – 91 Exploration Lots 400 - 410 Solomon Islands Lots 92 – 95 Early Tourism, Rotorua, the Hot Lakes District Whaling and Southern Islands Lots 411 – 424 Lots 96 – 109 Rare New Zealand Literature, Shipping and Maritime History Children’s Books Enquiries Lots 110 – 117 Lots 425 – 442 Pam Plumbly New Zealand Exploration and Travel Philately and Numismatics Rare Book Consultant, Art + Object Lots 118 – 149 [email protected] Lots 443 – 445 +64 9 354 4646 The New Zealand Company and The Land Wars Wakefield Settlements Lots 446 – 491 Lots 150 – 181 Acknowledgements Colonisation, Missionaries, the Treaty The Directors of ART+OBJECT would like of Waitangi Regional Histories to thank Brian Goshinski, in his capacity as Lots 182 – 219 Auckland specialist in charge of the catalogue for his Maori History Lots 492 – 547 expertise and invaluable assistance in the preparation of the catalogue. Lots 220 – 263 Wellington, Wanganui, Taranaki, Maori Rights and Land the Wairarapa Lots 264 – 281 Lots 548 – 566 Pycroft Collection References Early Maori Printings, Grammars Canterbury, Nelson, Westland Bagnall – New Zealand Bibliography, edited by and Publications Lots 567 – 609 A. G. Bagnall, 1969 – 1980 Lots 282 – 316 BM – Books in Maori 1815 – 1900. Parkinson Otago, Southland & Griffith, Alexander Turnbull Library Maori Newspapers Lots 610 – 631 Fergusson – Bibliography of Australia by Lots 317 – 328 J.A. Fergusson A Rare Maori Land Deed, Hocken – A Bibliography relating to New Zealand Proclamations in Maori Mitchell – Bibliography of Captain James Cook, Mitchell Library Lot 329 – 331 Straubel – Canterbury Association pamphlets Artefacts by C. R. Straubel Lots 332 – 342 Union List – Union List of Newspapers, National Library of New Zealand W – A Bibliography of Printed Maori to 1900 by H.W. Williams 3 Rita Angus Portrait of the Artist’s Brother, Alan Angus oil on board, 462 x 380mm $160 000 – $220 000 Important Paintings & Contemporary Art 22 November 2011 Consignments invited until 25 October Contact: Ben Plumbly, Director of Art [email protected] +64 9 354 4646 +64 21 222 8183 The Pycroft Collection of Rare Books P ART one (lots 1 to 342) Wednesday 2 November 2011 at 6.30pm PART two (lots 343 to 631) Thursday 3 November 2011 at 6.30pm Art + Object 3 Abbey Street Newton, Auckland OPENING PREVIEW EVENT Friday 28 October 6.00 – 8.00pm VIewING Friday 28 October 9.00am – 5.00pm Saturday 29 October 11.00am – 4.00pm Sunday 30 October 11.00am – 4.00pm Monday 31 October 9.00am – 5.00pm Tuesday 1 November 9.00am – 5.00pm Wednesday 2 November 9.00am – 2.00pm Thursday 3 November 9.00am – 2.00pm 5 1 7 6 2 4 45 stamp and contemporary blind stamp, sprinkle of foxing mostly front Antarctic and back pages. Original dark blue cloth with gilt vignette of ship. 1. Amundsen Roald. The South Pole. An Account London, John Murray 1859. The search to determine the fate of of the Norwegian Antarctic Expedition in the ‘Fram’ 1910 – Franklin’s party on board the Erebus and Terror was one of the 1912. Translated by A.G. Chater. Two volumes, thick octavo, most extensive in maritime history this expedition commanded complete with black and white plates and maps, original gilt maroon by McClintock was sponsored by Lady Franklin to search for cloth with Norwegian flag, lightly rubbed and spots. London: John her husband and his crew missing since 1845. Murray 1912 early reprint. The classic account of the Amundsen $200 – $400 expedition’s classic dash to be the first men to reach the South 5. Mawson Douglas. The Home of the Blizzard. Pole. They arrived just over a month earlier than Scott. Loosely Being the Story of the Australian Expedition, 1911-1914. enclosed is a press photograph dated 1925 of Amundsen Two volumes, thick octavo, complete with colour and black and reading a congratulatory telegram. white plates and folding maps in back pocket. Book plates of Harry $800 – $1000 Grindell on front end papers. Original dark blue cloth with 2. Borchgrevinck C.E. First on the Antarctic silver vignette and gilt titles, light browning and foxing mostly on Continent. Being an account of the British Antarctic preliminary pages, newspaper clipping announcing Mawson’s death Expedition 1898 – 1900. Octavo, complete with plates, folding glued verso of title page, binding lightly rubbed and shelf wear to top maps and adverts. Sprinkle of foxing and end papers browned. edges. London, William Heinneman 1915. Original red cloth with gilt titles, spine faded, and small chips to spine $400 – $800 ends. London, George Newnes 1901. 6. Scott Captain R.F. Last Expedition. Two volumes $500 – $700 Vol.1. Being the Journals of Captain R.F. Scott. Vol.11. 3. Cherry-Gerrard Apsley. The Worst Journey Being the Reports of the Journeys & the Scientific Work in the World. Antarctic 1910 – 1913. Two volumes, octavo, undertaken by Dr E.A. Wilson and the Surviving Members complete with colour, black and white plates, and folding maps. of the Expedition. Thick octavo, original dark blue cloth with gilt Light browning on end papers, original blue cloth with gilt titles, titles and top edges, complete with colour, black and white plates and light wear. London, Constable & Company, second edition folding maps, signatures front end papers, 24.5cms, front corner reissued in 1929. This ‘second edition’ was first issued in 1923 bruised, light wear otherwise a very good set. London, Smith Elder and is identical to the first edition but for the omission of 1914, fourth edition. the panoramas, the stock of which was exhausted, and a few $100 – $200 corrections to the text. Spence 281. 7. Scott Captain Robert F. The Voyage of Discovery. $300 – $600 Two volumes, thick octavo, complete with colour and black and 4. McClintock Captain Francis L. A Narrative of the white plates, folding maps in back pockets, browning on end papers Discovery of the Fate of Sir John Franklin.