The Riches Of Ancient Australia: Journey Through Prehistory
Australian History Australian Aboriginal Studies Educational Reference Prehistoric Archaeology Rock Art Studies Indigenous Culture Antiquarian & Collectible Non-Fiction
First-edition copies of Josephine Flood’s landmark 1990 paperback “The Riches of Ancient Australia: Journey Through Prehistory” are becoming scarce, especially in the collectable 250 mm, 373-page format offered here. This particular copy is clean, tight, unmarked and free of the usual shelf-wear that plagues oversized softcovers, making it an ideal shelf or study copy for anyone who wants the earliest printing without paying the premium normally attached to hardbacks. As the first mass-market attempt to synthesise decades of archaeological fieldwork for a general readership, the book is already a cornerstone of Australiana and Aboriginal-studies collections; finding one this well-preserved instantly upgrades any vintage Australiana shelf.
Inside, Flood—one of Australia’s most respected archaeologists—guides readers from the arrival of the First Peoples through 60 000-plus years of continuous culture, culminating in the rock-art galleries that dot the continent. Generous full-page and in-text illustrations (many commissioned from National Museum archives) let you examine Kimberley Gwion Gwion figures, Arnhem Land x-ray art and Tasmanian petroglyphs in detail that later reprints compressed or dropped altogether. The result is both a scholarly reference and a visually rich armchair journey, equally useful for high-school projects, university adult-education courses, or simply deepening your appreciation of the world’s longest artistic tradition.
Collectors value the first edition for its unedited maps, now-corrected radiocarbon dates and the original 1990 bibliography that traces Flood’s primary sources—elements frequently updated or omitted in subsequent reissues. Combined with the book’s broad thematic sweep—art, pre-history, education, travel, mysticism and personal development—it sits at the intersection of several thriving genres, ensuring strong resale demand. Whether you are building a heritage library, sourcing a unique Australian gift, or filling a gap in an Aboriginal-culture syllabus, this very-good vintage copy delivers authoritative content and enduring visual appeal in the format that started it all.
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