We Of The Never Never
By Mrs Aeneas Gunn
"Abridged & Adapted For Use In Schools"
Published by Robertson & Mullens Ltd: Melbourne 1936
An Original Study Copy With Extensive Handwritten Notes, Neatly Presented.
"We of the Never-Never is one of the enduring classics of Australian literature, based upon Jeannie Gunn's remarkable experiences at Elsey Station in the Northern Territory during 1902-1903. First published in 1908, the work recounts the newly married Gunn's journey from Melbourne into the remote cattle country near the Roper River, where her husband Aeneas James Gunn had become manager of Elsey Station. Written with warmth, humour and an acute eye for character and landscape, the book records an Australia of immense distances, isolation and hardship, while celebrating the companionship and resilience of those who made their lives in the "Never-Never".
This 1936 Robertson & Mullens edition was abridged and adapted specifically for use in schools, reflecting the position Gunn's work had achieved within Australian literature and education. Despite its condensed form, the volume retains the essential narrative of Gunn's celebrated account and is extensively illustrated with period photographs and a map of the Northern Territory. The illustrations depict the Katherine and Roper Rivers, stockmen, cattle work, Daly Waters, the Overland Telegraph Line and other people and places associated with Gunn's story, concluding with the memorial tablet to her husband, Aeneas James Gunn.
Of particular interest, this is an original school study copy with extensive contemporary handwritten notes. The front endpaper bears the name Fred Bryant, Grade VII A, Junction Park State School, together with a Brisbane Grammar School stamp and a Brisbane address. Throughout the volume are neatly inserted ruled study sheets containing vocabulary, definitions and explanatory notes relating directly to passages in the text. Rather than ordinary ownership scribble, these annotations provide an evocative surviving record of how this Australian classic was actually studied by a school pupil during the period.
Published in Melbourne by Robertson & Mullens Ltd in 1936 and wholly set up and printed in Australia by Brown, Prior & Co., the volume retains its attractive original green pictorial cloth binding depicting a pastoral Never-Never scene. The combination of Gunn's landmark Australian narrative, extensive photographic illustration and the unusually well-preserved evidence of its original educational use gives this copy considerable period character. A fascinating example of an Australian literary classic not merely preserved on the shelf, but actually read, studied and annotated by an Australian schoolchild some ninety years ago."
General wear and light staining to the covers and spine with some fraying as shown. Old strengthening tape to inner hinges have retained books structural integrity and there are no loose pages. Multiple tipped in hand written note summaries with examples shown. A nice copy with interesting provenance in good condition overall. Please study photos to further understand condition.
