Generations of My Time
Historical Fiction Australian Fiction Family Saga Literary Fiction Art Fiction Collectibles & Antiques Fiction Contemporary Fiction
Ilia Burkun’s 2011 first-edition hardcover, “Generations of My Time,” is a scarce Melbourne-pressed chronicle that art collectors actively hunt for its unique blend of fictionalised memoir and art-world documentary. Set against Australia’s vibrant cultural landscape, the narrative follows several generations of painters, dealers and obsessive bibliophiles whose lives intersect through rare canvases and even rarer books. Because only a small print-run was ever released, unmodified copies are almost impossible to find; this personalised copy carries original ink annotations—names, dates, marginal sketches—left by an early reader, turning the volume into a one-of-a-kind artefact that mirrors the book’s own themes of legacy and provenance.
Beyond rarity, the book’s physical presence satisfies high-spot collectors: sturdy sewn binding, deep-colour plates reproducing lost Australian artworks, and a striking dust-jacket design that has become iconic in underground rare-book circles. Condition notes show light edge-wear to the jacket and a filled-out front flyleaf—details that document the book’s journey rather than detract from display value. Pages themselves are bright, tight and unmarked by foxing, making the volume suitable both for reading and for exhibition alongside modern Australian art.
Young-adult and adult readers who crave stories where culture, family myth and art-market skulduggery collide will find Burkun’s voice fresh yet nostalgic; the novel reads like a cross between John Fowles’s “The Collector” and a Christie-style provenance mystery. Owning this inscribed first edition not only places you in an exclusive circle of collectors tracking Australasian art chronicles, it also gives you a conversation piece that sparks dialogue about heritage, creativity and the marks—literally—we leave on the artefacts we love.
Refer to our eBay listing for a full condition report and many more high-quality pictures of this item.
Buy Now