IRVINE R.F. - Report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Question of the Housing of Workmen in Europe and America.

Sydney, Govt printer 1913. Octavo later cloth with cropped original front wrapper mounted; [8],283pp; numerous photo illustrations, other illustrations and plans, some folding, two folding colour plans. Signs of use but nothing terminal, a decent copy.1915 owner's inscription of Fred W. Robinson, Duntroon. Professor Robinson published a small history of Canberra in 1924. ¶ I knew that this existed with two different covers: the usual government report type boards echoing the title page, and a plainer more trade style wrapper. But I didn't know that it existed in two different forms: the report I've seen is a typical foolscap size; this is completely reset and reorganised, presumably for trade sales. Mounted inside the back cover is the remains of what seems to be a back wrapper advertising Dymock's Book Arcade.One of the essential planning documents from the first period - the golden age - of modern town planning. And rare. A quick glance at Worldcat suggests that this is well represented in libraries around the world, until you weed out the electronic version.The slums of Sydney: descriptions, observations and alternatives: municipal and association housing, tenements, the garden city, and the necessity for town planning. The details and examples are extensive, his recommendations clear and concise. And Professor Irvine's report on Dacey Garden Suburb mentions that the scheme actually originated with Dacey's predecessor Carmichael.