LETTERS ON EDUCATION; addressed to a friend in the bush of Australia. by BOYD, Hannah Villiers.:

Sydney, W. and F. Ford, 1848.. FIRST EDITION 1848, ONCE IN THE LIBRARY OF GEORGE MACKANESS. 8vo, approximately 180 x 105 mm, 7 x 4¼ inches, folding plate of a letter with some tears, repaired and strengthened by laying down on paper, tipped in errata slip present at final page, pages: vi, (2), 169, bound in contemporary morocco, expertly rebacked with original backstrip laid on, gilt lettered and 2 small gilt ornaments, new leather showing on hinges, marbled endpapers. One small surface scrape to upper cover, bookplate of Dr George Mackaness and another small modern name label on front pastedown, ownership blindstamp of T.M. Ramsay on initial blank, faded ownership inscription on title dated 1872, some light spotting and browning, 3 pages lightly browned all over, no loss of legibility, short repair in top margin of final page. A good copy of a rare early Australian treatise on education. See: Ferguson, Bibliography of Australia, Volume IV, page 172, 4717: "An attempt to assist bush mothers in the education of their children, other means of instruction being absent. One of the earliest Australian educational treatises". Dr. George Mackaness (1882 - 1968), born in Sydney, was a distinguished Australian educator, historian and bibliophile. He married Alice Symons in 1906. He trained as a teacher and spent many years as English master at Fort Street Public School, Sydney. His book "Inspirational Teaching" was widely acclaimed. He was in charge of the English Department at Sydney Technical College from 1924 to 1946. He was on the board of the Commonwealth Literary Fund, and a trustee of the Public Library of NSW. He was a longtime member of the Royal Australian Historical Society, and president in 1948-9. He wrote over 70 books and journal articles, including a life of William Bligh (1930) and Arthur Phillip (1937). Between 1935 and 1962, he edited and privately published in limited editions, a series of Australian Historical Monographs (later reprinted by Review Publications, Dubbo), consisting of valuable original research plus reprints of key but forgotten historical pamphlets. He amassed in his Drummoyne home probably the largest private collection of Australian books. This huge library was sold via three catalogues issued by Angus & Robertson in 1966. Mackaness was president of the Book Collectors Society of Australia for two years (1958-9). He was awarded the OBE in 1961 and an honorary DSc (Syd) in 1961, Wikipedia, see also the Dictionary of Australian Biography: 1 copy only listed in, Disc, Library Hub Discover in the British Library. MORE IMAGES ATTACHED TO THIS LISTING, ALL ZOOMABLE. FURTHER IMAGES ON REQUEST. POSTAGE AT COST.