The Rocks, Sydney

Sydney: Halstead Press, 1966. Hardcover. Very Good +/Very Good. Hardcover. The Rocks is currently a tourist and historic area near Sydney, Australia's city center. The Rocks is one of the oldest British settlements in Australia, established shortly after the colony's formation in 1788. From the establishment of the settlement, it had a reputation as a slum where arriving convicts lived, and where visiting sailors and prostitutes thrived. In the late 1960s, the Sydney Cove Redevelopment Authority proposed redeveloping the area with high-rises. A residents group opposed the plan. After years of negotiation,The Rocks was renovated and transformed into a commercial and tourist zone. This book is an attempt to memorialize The Rocks of its earlier days through the black-and-white illustrations of Unk White, a renowned New Zealand artist who lived in The Rocks when he first moved to Australia. The illustrations are accompanied by text written by Olaf Ruhen, a native New Zealander and well-known Australian writer. SIGNED by Unk White on half-title page. SCARCE in the 1966 edition in the United States. Octavo. Salmon/white patterned paper-covered boards with salmon cloth covering to spine. Title in white to spine. Salmon-colored dust jacket with illustration to front panel. Title in white to front panel and black to spine panel. Jacket has small scrapings, smudges, and minor tears around edges. Jacket is price-clipped. Pages are bright and clean. 59 pp. AUS1/9262.