I have in my collection a couple of second editions and a first edition of Flynn of the Inland - all sans Dust Jackets (and a 22nd edition 1942. Actually I have a 1956 Memorial Edition and a 1990 Australian Classics edition with Dust Jackets as well). It is a second edition of Flynn that I find most interesting. For one thing it contained some early A.I.M. material - a little pamphlet - inserted into its pages, about which I may do another post. But this copy also provided some provenance: the name and address of its owner.
Some collectors like their copies to be unmarked - "cleanskins" I call them. Generally, the more "as new" a copy is, the more valuable it is. Others like an Idriess signature - because an Idriess autograph can also add value. But I like copies that give more provenance. In the case of my second edition, a name, address and specific date is given. These details were written on the inside first title page, as follows:
So this copy apparently belonged to an Aileen Forsyth of Kilbride, Mansfield [Victoria: Kilbride is a property name], dated 20th August 1932 [the second edition came out 16th March 1932 - with a print run of 2500 copies, according to Feain and Aroney]. The date may be when Aileen Forsyth received her copy. But just because there is a name and address doesn't mean we can always find out much more with regard to provenance. However, in this case, I was able to find out a little bit more about Aileen Forsyth and even obtain a couple of photos of her. Amongst other siblings she had an older brother, Alexander Gibson Forsyth (Private - Trooper 4th Light Horse. Idriess of course was a Trooper with the 5th. A G Forsyth enlisted 19 September 1916; arrived England 19 February 1917 and 6 weeks later - 2 April - died of pneumonia). Aileen's full name was Aileen Edna Mary Forsyth, born "Kilbride" 29th April 1895, died Melbourne, 21 December 1972. Photos as follows:
The photo of a younger Aileen between a chair and high stand was dated c.1910 but should be c.1905 as she appears to be about 10 years old. The other photo shows an older Aileen, perhaps a teenager of about 16 years old, but this is also dated c.1910, which is about right if she is about 15 or 16 then. There is also online a group photo of the "Kilbride and Maintongoon" Forsyth's on High Country History (highcountryhistory.org.au), which shows Aileen standing behind her brother A G Forsyth, in which she appears to be older still. Aileen's father, also Alexander, died 14 September 1906 when she was just 11; then 11 years later her older brother died in the war. It must have been sad for her.
So she was 37 when she got her Flynn copy in 1932. No doubt there are relatives and genealogists who have more information about Aileen Forsyth. But fascinating to find a photo of, and information about, someone who owned an Idriess book over 90 years ago.
At the back of this Aileen Forsyth Flynn 2nd Ed, on the Halstead Printing Company Ltd Arnold Place Sydney page are glued 8 old Australian stamps (probably by Aileen). These are an Anzac Commemoration 2d 1935, a 2d King George V Silver Jubilee 1935, a couple of Captain John Macarthur Merino Sheep Centenary 2d stamps 1934 and a Centenary of Victoria 2d 1934. There is a also a 2d Kingsford Smith's World Flights - first issue 19th March 1931 - a year before the publication of Flynn.
But two of the stamps were issued in 1932 - the 1/- Lyrebird - which was issued 15th Feb. 1932, and a 1932 Sydney Harbour Bridge 2d - issued to mark the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge [19th March] - but actually sold from 14th March. Interesting that Flynn of the Inland first edition was 10 March 1932, the second edition was 16 March 1932 and the Harbour Bridge opened 19th March. Apparently, the Harbour Bridge opening was a deadline Idriess was working towards for Flynn as noted in Eley, Ion Idriess, p.143 - in a letter from Flynn to Rev. J C Milliken of the A.I.M. Whether Idriess attended the opening of the Bridge Eley doesn't say: but she does note (p.144) that "Idriess found the incident very amusing," when Captain de Groot cut the ribbon ahead of Premier Jack Lang!
We often forget that 1932 was the height of the Great Depression and that in 1932 the unemployment rate peaked at 32%! Yet this was Idriess' most productive year as far as books published went: as well as Flynn, Idriess also had published The Desert Column - 15 April - and Men of the Jungle - in September. Or that postage stamps at this time were only 2d - now of course $1.50 - not that we post many letters these days.