Ham's Five Views of the Gold Fields of Mount Alexander and Ballarat in the Colony of Victoria Drawn on the Spot by D. Tulloch Engraved and Published by Thomas Ham.

This is a rare or used book from the Berkelouw Rare Books Department.

Melbourne 1852. Oblong quarto. Comprising the original buff paper wrappers with 6 lithographed vignettes of goldfield operations; engraved title-page; and 5 fine hand-tinted lithographic plates (with captions) each preceded by a page of descriptive letterpress commentary. Cased into a half oasis binding with gilt title along spine. A fine and desirable copy of this rare and complete work. An important pictorial record of the early days of the Victorian gold rush. The plates depict: Golden Point Ballarat to which place by October 1851 "nearly the whole of the male population of Melbourne and Geelong" had thronged in the hope of unearthing their fortune; and nearby Golden Point Mount Alexander (The name Golden Point was given to spots with "unusually rich deposits") which proved yet richer than Ballarat; the public meeting of gold diggers of 15 December 1851 organised to protest the government's decision to raise the license fee following the spectacular finds of a number of diggers; the Chief Commissioner's Quarters at Forest Creek; as well as gold diggers at work at Forest Creek.