1885 Convict Once & Other Poems by JB Stephens Antique Australian Fiction Book

In addition to the title poem, the collection contains a wide range of shorter verses inspired by Australian life and character. Notable pieces include My Chinee Cook, The Southern Cross, A Brisbane Reverie, The Squatter's Baccy Famine, and King Billy's Skull, revealing Stephens' fascination with the landscapes, peoples, and experiences of colonial Australia. Written with wit, sensitivity, and a keen eye for observation, these poems capture many aspects of nineteenth-century Australian society and helped establish Stephens as one of the leading literary figures of his generation.

Published by George Robertson & Company of Melbourne in 1885, this handsome volume remains preserved in its original green and gilt decorated cloth bindings, a particularly attractive example of Victorian Australian book production. Retaining the contemporary Angus & Robertson, Sydney bookseller's label to the rear pastedown, the book also bears the discreet stamp of the Knox Collection, adding a further layer of provenance. Increasingly scarce in original bindings, Convict Once And Other Poems is a significant and highly desirable work of early Australian literature, appealing to collectors of colonial poetry, Australiana, and nineteenth-century publishing."