James Robert Tyrrell

James Robert Tyrrell
Born	Darlington, New South Wales, Australia
Died	July 30, 1961(1961-07-30) (aged 86) Cammeray, Sydney, Australia
Occupation(s)	Bookseller, art dealer, publisher, writer
Years active	Over 70 years
Known for	Sydney's foremost bookselling authority; author of Old Books, Old Friends, Old Sydney

James Robert Tyrrell (3 July 1875 – 30 July 1961) was a distinguished Australian bookseller, art dealer, publisher, and writer. His involvement in the book industry extended over seventy years, earning him the reputation as Sydney’s foremost bookselling authority. He is also recognized for authoring the significant historical account of early Australian bookselling titled Old Books, Old Friends, Old Sydney.

Early life and career

Tyrrell was born in Darlington, New South Wales. His father, George, an English veteran of the Crimean War, emigrated to New South Wales during the gold rush era; his mother Mary (née Colgan) hailed from Ireland and had settled in Queensland.

He received his education in Balmain and Petersham and supplemented his income by selling newspapers at Petersham station on behalf of the N.S.W. Bookstall Company. At age 15, Tyrrell commenced employment with Sydney bookseller Angus and Robertson, initially undertaking errands and deliveries for a weekly wage of 7 shillings and 6 pence over a 64-hour workweek. The owner, George Robertson, fostered Tyrrell’s growth through a structured reading programme and permitted him to create a personal library from surplus stock.

With Robertson’s backing, Tyrrell opened a modest evening bookshop close to Sydney University. Following Angus and Robertson’s move to Castlereagh Street, Tyrrell became acquainted with various writers, artists, and collectors who frequented the vicinity.

By 1897–98, Tyrrell had gained recognition as an expert in Australiana and was appointed Angus and Robertson’s chief buyer stationed in London and Edinburgh.

Tyrrell's Bookshop

In 1907, Tyrrell inaugurated his own bookselling enterprise, Tyrrell's Bookshop, situated at the corner of Castlereagh and Market Streets. He financed this venture with two hundred pounds he had saved over seventeen years. By 1910, he expanded operations to Adelaide, South Australia by founding Tyrrell's Ltd. at 128 Gawler Place, engaging in both book and art sales. During this period, he cultivated relationships with literary personalities such as poet C. J. Dennis and contributors to The Gadfly magazine.

Returning to Sydney in 1914, Tyrrell established a new outlet at 22 Castlereagh Street where he continued to blend bookselling with art dealing while adding publishing activities to his portfolio. His growing catalogue included notable Australian authors like bush poet Henry Lawson, writer Zora Cross, and cartoonist David Low. Among his publishing achievements was Sydney Ure Smith’s limited edition Relics of Old Colonial Days: A Book of Drawings released in 1914, now considered a collector’s treasure. He also produced the Peeps at the Past series.

Tyrrell broadened his business scope by acquiring Antiques Ltd., an established antiques firm on Hunter Street. In 1924 he further diversified by purchasing Tost and Rohu, specialists dealing in furs, curiosities, opals, and South Sea Island artifacts.

As business prospered, relocations followed: initially next door to Angus & Robertson; then in 1935 moving to 281 George Street near Wynyard Station where he operated for many years. In 1955 he shifted again to 202 George Street near Circular Quay, sustaining a significant role within Sydney’s book and art markets.

Legacy

Tyrrell chronicled a pivotal era of Australian cultural history through his volumes Old Books, Old Friends, Old Sydney (1952) and Postscript: Further Bookselling Reminiscences (1957), focusing particularly on the period from 1888 to 1905.

These publications provide anecdotal insights into prominent booksellers such as Robertson, Dymock, and Wymark; authors including Lawson, Paterson, Archibald, C. J. Dennis, Brennan, and Brereton; artists like the Lindsays and Low; collectors such as Mitchell and Dixon; public figures including Parkes and Hughes; as well as international visitors like Twain and Stevenson.

A passionate collector of Australiana and bibliophile, Tyrrell amassed one of Sydney’s most extensive private book collections. He also acquired the comprehensive photographic archive of Kerry & Co., a leading Sydney studio active in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Known as The Tyrrell Collection, it was originally intended for a private ethnographic museum. After that project did not materialize, the collection was transferred in 1980 to Australian Consolidated Press, which subsequently donated many photographs to institutions including the Powerhouse Museum and the National Library of Australia.

Reception

Tyrrell's bookshops functioned as dynamic centers of cultural exchange, attracting numerous literary personalities. The expansive Castlereagh location was renowned as "a genuine treasure trove," drawing in artists, authors, and collectors who explored, negotiated, or engaged in conversation amid an array of artworks, prints, ceramics, bronzes, jade pieces, ivories, coins, medals, and books.

A number of distinguished poets commemorated Tyrrell's through their verse, including Henry Lawson's "The Song of Tyrrell's Bell," Kenneth Slessor's "In Tyrrell's Bookshop," and Roderic Quinn's "Tyrrell's Bookshop."

Personal life and death

On 17 August 1898, James Tyrrell wed Matilda Bourne from Dunedin, New Zealand. The couple had two offspring: James Eric and Dorothy. His sibling George also worked as a secondhand bookseller based in Sydney.

Tyrrell passed away in Cammeray, Sydney on 30 July 1961. Following his demise, management of Tyrrell's Bookshop was taken over by his son John and later by his grandson William ("Bill"). In 1971, the bookstore moved to 328 Pacific Highway in Crows Nest.

Select bibliography

• James R. Tyrrell, The Growth of a City: Sydney Old and New, a Contrast: 48 Comparative Views of the Growth of Sydney (Sydney: J. R. Tyrrell, 1914)
• James R. Tyrrell, Old Books, Old Friends, Old Sydney (Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1952)
• James R. Tyrrell, Postscript: Further Bookselling Reminiscences by James Tyrrell Together with the Poems of James Lionel Murphy as transcribed by Henry Kendall (Sydney: Tyrrells, 1957)
• James R. Tyrrell, Australian Aboriginal Place-names and Their Meanings (Sydney: Simmons, 1933)
• James R. Tyrrell, David Scott Mitchell: A Reminiscence (Sydney: Sunnybrook Press, 1936)

Further reading

• Australian Booksellers Association, The Early Australian Booksellers: The Australian Booksellers Association Memorial Book of Fellowship (Adelaide: Australian Booksellers Association, 1980)
• W. E. Fitz-Henry, Jim Tyrrell Shifts Camp (Sydney: The Bulletin, 1955)