"EVEN well-heeled collectors occasionally find themselves a bit short of ready cash when something special comes up. Rodney Davidson, the amiable Melbourne former solicitor who has built up a vast collection of rare Australian books, many valued at more than $100,000 apiece, relates an anecdote about his patient pursuit of one of the fabled rarities of Australian exploration - the "unpublished" first edition of Hamilton Hume and William Hovell's Journey of Discovery to Port Phillip, New South Wales of 1831."

"When he was finally offered the elusive work, Davidson reveals in a foreword to the catalogue for his upcoming sale, the asking price left him speechless. Unable to find the sum required but agog with enthusiasm, he rang his bank and asked for an overdraft to buy "something special", after which he promised to treat the bankers to lunch at his club and reveal all."

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