To the South Polar Regions. Expedition of 1898 – 1900

London : Hurst and Blackett, 1901. First edition, first issue. Octavo, in a fine prize binding for Sydney Grammar School, full polished calf, ruled in gilt with floral corner emblems, the school’s armorial crest with motto Schola Grammatica Sydneiensis on upper board, spine in compartments with raised bands, gilt tooling and contrasting morocco title labels, lettered in gilt, marbled edges and endpapers, prize label to upper pastedown, pp. xvi; 348; two large folding maps (small tears to margins at gutters), photographically illustrated, occasional pale foxing, a fine copy.

Australian explorer Louis Bernacchi’s account of Borchgrevink’s Southern Cross expedition which wintered in Cape Adare, the first Antarctic expedition to do so. Bernacchi would later return to Antarctica as a physicist on the Discovery expedition led by Robert Falcon Scott (1901–1904).

This book was awarded to James Farish Stephen, whose obituary appeared in The Sydneian, no. 358, July 1967:

‘JAMES FARISH STEPHEN James Farish Stephen (1901) died in December last. Mr. Stephen had a distinguished academic record at School winning the following prizes:- 1902 – Morehead Scholarship. 1895, 1901 – Knox Prizes. 1901 – Wigram Allen Prize Mathematics. 1900 Wigram Allen Prize Natural Science. He was a life Member of the Old Sydneians’ Union.’

Taurus 25; Rosove 35 (“a gem in the Antarctic literature”)