The Aborigines of New South Wales
Australian History Antiquarian & Collectible Indigenous Studies Ethnography Cultural History Young Adult Non-Fiction Australiana
The Aborigines of New South Wales by Eric Bedford is a scarce 1960s Australian paperback that turns up less and less often in clean, collectable condition. Because it was printed on low-grade paper that browns and chips easily, a copy that is still square, tight and free of smoke odour—like this one—is prized by collectors of Australiana, ethnography and early Indigenous studies. Illustrated throughout with period photographs, line drawings and maps, the book doubles as both a readable chronicle and a visual time-capsule of traditional life just before modern developmental pressures accelerated change.
Bedford’s narrative is wide-ranging yet accessible: he walks readers through pre-contact social organisation, initiation rites, bush tucker, tool-making and the Dreaming stories that tie language groups to specific landscapes. Separate chapters examine rock art, songlines, corroboree costumes and the way trade routes moved artefacts like Sydney shell work up and down the coast. Young-adult and adult newcomers to Aboriginal culture appreciate the clear language, while specialists value the first-hand quotes from Elders recorded before many passed away.
What makes this particular copy worth snapping up is its combination of completeness and condition. All plates are present, the binding is uncracked, and there are no previous-owner stamps, inscriptions or ex-libris marks to detract from future resale. As interest in authentic Indigenous voices and decolonising history keeps surging, solid primary-source texts like Bedford’s gain relevance on school reading lists, local-history shelves and Australiana investment collections alike. Secure it now and you hold both a readable introduction to New South Wales’ first peoples and a quietly appreciating antiquarian asset.
Refer to our eBay listing for a full condition report and many more high-quality pictures of this item.
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