An extensive list of books available in London in l912 covered life in far flung parts , including Australia , New Zealand , South Africa , Paraguay , Canada , Texas , Afghanistan , India , Tibet and , of course, various wars, hunting , shooting and fishing .
Headed THE DEAD HEART OF AUSTRALIA , A Journey around the Lake Eyre Basin and the Flowing Well of Central Australia in the Summer of 1901 -1902 , by J.W.Gregory , Professor of Geology at Glasgow University , with maps and illustrations, which had received a rave review, immediately stood out .
Another promising book was ADRIFT IN NEW ZEALAND, by E.Way Elkington , who arrived in that "delightful country " with "only threepence "and worked at many occupations, including bullock driving to journalism . The book was full of amusing incidents and graphic descriptions of the scenery,details of Maori life and their customs , legends.
THE BLACK POLICE OF QUEENSLAND , reminiscences of early days in the colony, by Edward B. Kennedy ,described as being an interesting work...full of real human interest .
STUDIES IN THE ART OF RATCATCHING, by H. C. Barkley , would have been exciting reading .
South Africa and Darkest Africa were the subject of several books ,one AFRICAN GAME TRAILS by American hunter-naturalist and US president Theodore Roosevelt ,some pix by familiar sounding Kermit Roosevelt .
Savage pacific islands , years up the Khyber and travel through the Yang-Tze Valley were the subject of other volumes on offer, which ran to more than 100 .
UPCOMING : Vital Questions of the Day Series of books available at the same time .
