Recent additions
The State Library of New South Wales regularly adds to its fine collections of original materials. Below is a selection of items donated or purchased during the last year.
- Eden Fishermen by Ruth Maddison. A series of 30 contemporary portraits of a cross-section of residents in Eden, New South Wales, many of which explore the impact of the collapse of the local fishing industry. Printed next to each image is a commentary by the subjects about their lives — a powerful record of a community in transition. PXE 966
- Cabbage Trees near the Shoalhaven River, 1860 by Eugène von Guérard. This highly finished oil painting depicts a forest clearing on the farm of James Keevers in the present-day Avondale district of the Illawarra. Mount Kembla is visible in the distance. A romantic, celebratory interpretation of the majesty of nature and the struggle of colonisation. ML 1398
- Photographic Archive of Jozef Vissel The distinguished photographer, Jozef Vissel, emigrated from Holland to Australia in 1960, where he established a reputation for fine documentary and commercial photography. His most famous image is his dynamic portrait of the architect Jørn Utzon, his hands arching through space. This extensive collection of prints and transparencies is a fascinating record of a creative and commercial career.
- Vincent, c.1971 This well-known collage by Martin Sharp dates from the era of the influential avant-garde Sydney artists’ collective, the Yellow House, in Macleay Street, Potts Point. Sharp’s combined fascination with pop art and Vincent van Gogh is evident. As little has survived from this volatile and creative period, this image is an important and symbolic record of a dynamic period in Sydney’s cultural life. ML 1384
- The George Clarke Papers Architecturally trained George Clarke (1932–2005) was one of Australia’s most influential urban planners. Best known for his innovative plans for Sydney and Adelaide, he also undertook consultancies in Indonesia, Africa and the Pacific as well as advising the World Bank and United Nations on planning issues. This is a comprehensive archive of his life and career. ML 26/05
- Kate Grenville Literary Papers concerning The secret river, 2003–2006 This large collection of papers documents the research and writing of The secret river (2005), Grenville’s multi-award winning novel. The papers also include material on the book’s companion volume, Searching for the secret river (2006). ML 1914/84
Some important publications acquired include:
- American national biography online Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2000–. This online database is the leading source of information on the lives of people who have influenced and shaped American culture and history. It includes over 18 000 detailed profiles of a broad range of individuals.
- Dialogo sopra i due massimi sistemi del mondo Tolemaico, e Copernicano by Galileo Galilei, Fiorenza, Gio. Batista Landini, 1632. One of the most influential and controversial books in Western civilisation, this is Galileo’s formal defence of the Copernican view of the solar system. Galileo’s work revolutionised astronomy and influenced navigation and religion. SRL RB/ 2605Galtjintana-Pepa: Kristianirberaka Mbontala by Adolf Hermann Kempe (translator and compiler), Hermannsburg, Germany, Missionshandlung, 1891. This is the first book of Christian instruction and worship in the Australian Aboriginal Aranda language. It is a noteworthy addition to the Library’s collection of material in Aboriginal languages. ML 220.9505/23
- On the origin of species by Charles Darwin, London, John Murray, 1859. This copy is the first printing of the first edition of one of a handful of books which can claim to have changed the way we think. Shattering Victorian society, it caused us to redefine our ideas on both religion and science. Today’s debate on intelligent design and stem cell research link back directly to this highly significant publication. SRL SAFE/RB/2604
- The art of cookery, made plain and easy; which far exceeds any thing of the kind ever...,first edition, by Hannah Glasse, London, 1747. Printed for the author, and sold at Mrs. Ashburn’s, a china-shop, this is the rarest and most famous cookery book of the eighteenth century, and a significant work of culinary literature. It was a bestseller for over 100 years. This copy has an insertion, in ink, under the imprint that reads, ‘And at Mrs. Wharton’s, at the Blue coat Boy, near the Royal Exchange’. The author was once labelled ‘mother of the modern dinner party’. SRL RB/Q623
- 85 menus (1992–1999) for Sydney restaurants, as collected by the food writer John Newton for the Sydney Morning Herald. ML EPHEMERA / MENUS (Box 15)
