King’s Cross Calling - H. C. Brewster and Virginia Luther

Author: H. C. Brewster and Virginia Luther
Publisher: H. C. Brewster, Sydney
Format: Paperback / illustrated wrappers
Edition: Early Australian edition, likely 1940s. No ISBN.
ISBN: No ISBN

Condition: Second-hand vintage paperback. Heavily worn copy with foxing, staining, age toning, edge wear, corner wear, creasing, and old tape or repair to the spine. The covers are rubbed and marked, with visible wear to the front and rear. Pages show age-related spotting throughout. Please refer to photos for the exact copy available.

King’s Cross Calling is a scarce Australian guide to Sydney’s King’s Cross, written by H. C. Brewster and Virginia Luther, with sketches by Virginia Luther and notable cover artwork by Rosaleen Norton. Published in the wartime and post-war period, the book captures King’s Cross as a lively, bohemian, theatrical, and socially complex district, with chapters on its streets, cafés, old houses, churches, Greek communities, residential life, and artistic circles.

This copy is especially collectible for its connection to Rosaleen Norton, the legendary Sydney artist and occult figure later known as the “Witch of King’s Cross.” Norton’s distinctive cover design makes this an appealing piece for collectors of Australian occult history, Sydney bohemia, queer-adjacent cultural history, and unusual Australiana.

About the Author: H. C. Brewster was an Australian writer and publisher, also known for Pearls of Papua. Virginia Luther contributed text and sketches to King’s Cross Calling. The book is now most often sought for its portrait of mid-century King’s Cross and its association with Rosaleen Norton.