Original M/S Poetry Omnibus of Dr. John Service
John Service (1861-1916) Scots doctor arrived in Sydney in 1885 and practiced medicine and literature peripatetically throughout NSW Service maintained strong links with his Scots border heritage and many of these works were published in his homeland.
Lot consists of a bound ruled page volume of 254 leaves containing his annotated poetic and lyric output from 1865 (age 14) to 1898. List of poems goes through to 1901, when he was living at 400 Darling St. Balmain, however this list is crossed out in pencil from poem 159 (the last in this book) so whether they are missing from this volume is moot.
Commencing with his initial note….'1. Extract from diary volume III. Monday September 25th 1865. After tea I made my first attempt of a poem ‘On a Sultry Day and its Effects' or in plainer words, a ‘Thunderstorm'. The final entry, poem ‘Good Lord! What is a Man?' written in White Cliffs NSW October 1898.
Penultimate poem, written the day before is an insider's play on words. Set in Torquay 1588 as Queen Elizabeth I waits on news of the Armada. ‘….Enter a Courier (who is an Apothecary of the Royal Household), ‘travel-stained by Bacchus…'. He tells the Queen that the Armada is ‘Cantharides', she threatens to kill him if he is not clearer…..'I mean O Queen…The Spanish Fly!'
The manuscript contains lists denoting where written, number of lines, where published (often in the Irvine Herald or Jarrow Guardian) sometimes with pasted in clippings of same.
Contains also ‘Songs with Original Airs' (lyrics only) which have been published in his own literary works; a near epic poem of ancient Scotland; a long poem on Fairies in Australia, a letter from James Crichton-Browne (pioneer Scottish neurologist); 2 entries from his wife? written on reading it arer his death.
Service also rates his work with coloured ink circle symbols.
State Library of NSW holds an archive of Service's poems and letters.
Volume is in poor condition, green cloth boards are detached, pages toned and very well handled. Text block binding is soft but holding. (20x13cm)


Estimate $600-1,000