The Australian Handbook (Incorporating New Zealand, Fiji & New Guinea) Shippers' and Importers' Directory & Business Guide For 1887 (18th Year Of Issue)
Published by Gordon And Gotch: London, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane 1887
Features:
Multiple large foldout maps
"The Australian Handbook (Incorporating New Zealand, Fiji & New Guinea): Shippers' and Importers' Directory & Business Guide was a comprehensive reference publication produced annually during the late 19th and early 20th centuries to serve as an essential resource for businessmen, traders, and settlers across Australasia and the Pacific. It provided detailed information on the political, economic, and geographic conditions of Australia's states and territories, as well as neighboring colonies such as New Zealand, Fiji, and New Guinea. The handbook included listings of towns and cities, postal and telegraph data, transportation links, shipping routes, and government services. It was particularly valuable for its thorough directories of merchants, exporters, importers, and manufacturers, making it a critical tool for facilitating trade and communication in a rapidly expanding colonial economy.
Beyond commerce, the Australian Handbook also offered insight into the social and industrial development of the region, with statistical summaries, population figures, agricultural data, and mining output tables. It reflected the ambitions of the British Empire in the Pacific and served to promote migration, investment, and infrastructure growth. For contemporary readers and historians alike, the handbook is an important historical document, capturing a snapshot of colonial Australasia's economy, society, and imperial networks at a time of transformation and expansion."
Original bindings with damage/loss to outer spine, fading, bumped corners etc as shown. Inside hinges split and covers wobbly but secure. Text block is in good order with no obvious loose pages (a few maps sit slightly proud of text block). 22 folding maps are present + a map is missing from page 91 and Fiji map is in half. Maps with tears, chipping etc. Most pages clean and well presented with light spotting only. A decent, close to complete edition makes a perfect reference book or invest further in binding repairs to preserve. Please study photos to further understand condition.
Size 22.5cm x 16.5cm x 7cm - 762 Pages + Significant Additional Directories & Advertisements
