An extraordinary volume--even a masterpiece--about the early history of Australia that reads like the finest of novels. Hughes captures everything in this complex tableau with narrative finesse that drives the reader ever-deeper into specific facts and greater understanding. He presents compassionate understanding of the plights of colonists--both freemen and convicts--and the Aboriginal peoples they displaced. One of the very best works of history I have ever read.
From Library Journal
For 80 years between 1788 and 1868 England transported its convicts to Australia. This punishment provided the first immigrants and the work force to build the colony. Using diaries, letters, and original sources, Hughes meticulously documents this history. All sides of the story are told: the political and social reasoning behind the Transportation System, the viewpoint of the captains who had the difficult job of governing and developing the colonies, and of course the dilemma of the prisoners. This is a very thorough and accurate history of Australian colonization written by the author of the book and BBC/Time-Life TV series The Shock of the New . A definitive work that is an essential purchase for both public and academic libraries. BOMC and History Book Club main selections. Judith Nixon, Purdue Univ. Libs., W. Lafayette, Ind.Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Arthur Schlessinger
This enthralling account of Australia's tragic origins is history of the finest order, combining thorough research with vivid narrative and thoughtful assessment--a brilliant and enduring achievement.
Book Description
The history of the birth of Australia which came out of the suffereing and brutality of England's infamous convict transportation system. With 16 pages of illustrations and 3 maps.
From the Publisher
"A brilliant and enduring achievement...history of the highest order combining thorough research with vivid narrative and thoughtful assessment."--Arthur M. Schlesinger
From the Inside Flap
The history of the birth of Australia which came out of the suffereing and brutality of England's infamous convict transportation system. With 16 pages of illustrations and 3 maps.
The Fatal Shore: The Epic of Australia's Founding ANNOTATION
"...In his marvelous new history, he brings convict Australia to life both in his own words and those of its inhabitants..."--Chicago Sun Times
FROM THE PUBLISHER
The history of the birth of Australia which came out of the suffereing and brutality of England's infamous convict transportation system. With 16 pages of illustrations and 3 maps.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
Hughes, art critic at Time, offers a vast and entertaining history of his native land's early years as a ``thief colony,'' i.e., the place to which, beginning in 1788, Britain transported some 160,000 convicts. ``The book abounds with stories of these exiles,'' PW wrote. (February)
Library Journal
For 80 years between 1788 and 1868 England transported its convicts to Australia. This punishment provided the first immigrants and the work force to build the colony. Using diaries, letters, and original sources, Hughes meticulously documents this history. All sides of the story are told: the political and social reasoning behind the Transportation System, the viewpoint of the captains who had the difficult job of governing and developing the colonies, and of course the dilemma of the prisoners. This is a very thorough and accurate history of Australian colonization written by the author of the book and BBC/Time-Life TV series The Shock of the New . A definitive work that is an essential purchase for both public and academic libraries. BOMC and History Book Club main selections. Judith Nixon, Purdue Univ. Libs., W. Lafayette, Ind.
Art & Photography
Book Info
