MEMOIRS OF JAMES HARDY VAUX, a swindler and thief; now transported to New South Wales for the second time, and for life. Written by himself. Second edition,

VAUX, James Hardy. (First Australian autobiography)

Published by London: Whittaker Treacher and Arnot, 1829

About this Item

12mo, (155x99mm), [3 adverts],[1 blank],xxiv,288p. some very slight and occasional spotting. Original green calico cloth, some slight fading, the backstrip discoloured and with a leather back-label, preserved in a modern custom-made solander box. (Ferguson Bibliography of Australia 1305) A rare edition of what was, in its first edition of 1819, the first Australian autobiography. It recounts the life and wrong-doings of the author and his subsequent life in the convict colony. This so-called second edition, which retains the introduction by Barron Field, appears to be a re-issue of the 1827 edition that had been published in London by Hunt and Clarke and numbered volume 13 in their series of 'autobiographical works that offer a collection of the most instructive and amusing lives ever published.' The advertisements that precede the text of this book, list the volumes in the series and retain Hunt & Clarke's number of 13, as does the series title which precedes the volume title. However, we suspect that between 1827 and 1829 Whittaker, Treacher and Arnot took over the series from Hunt & Clarke and re-issued the volume under their own imprint. Whittaker &c. issued another edition in 1830 with slightly different pagination and re-numbered it as volume 17 of the series. Copac locates no copies of this edition in any UK library, indeed we can locate only two Australian libraries which hold copies. As an added attraction this volume is an early example of a publisher's edition binding in calico cloth, having been published - according to the publisher's advert - in 'a fine library edition at 6 shillings the volume.'. Seller Inventory # 16736

Bibliographic Details

Title: MEMOIRS OF JAMES HARDY VAUX, a swindler and ...

Publisher: London: Whittaker Treacher and Arnot

Publication Date: 1829

Binding: Hardcover

Edition: 1st Edition