The Outspan (new edition, 1987)

Peter Randall's foreword puts the original 1897 edition of this book and its author into historical and critical perspective, while in her preface Cecily Niven, the author's daughter, tells us that, "Jock of the Bushveld" notwithstanding, this was her father's favourite book. She also relates the last time FitzPatrick took his children to his old stamping grounds in 1909. They had gone to MacMac, where "four old hands were still sluicing in the bed of the creek". FitzPatrick and one of these, "the Bosun", recognised each other. Niven, herself an author of note, particularly in he field of ornithology, then recalls the miner's slangy conversation in a 175-word gem that adds an extra flavour to the six short stories that make up "The Outspan" and makes this writer, at least, wish that she had added some of her own dialogue to FitzPatrick's stories. Unless she wrote it down at the time, her ear must have perfect to have been able to recall dialect 80 years later.

The illustrated limp covers and xii + 152 pp of contents are unmarked, undiscoloured and in very good condition.