Australians: Origins to Eureka

Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 2009. First Edition. Hardcover. Near Fine Condition/Near Fine. Second impression of the First Edition. Size: Large Octavo 8VO. 628 pages. Text body is clean, and free from previous owner annotation, underlining and highlighting. Binding is tight, covers and spine fully intact. No foxing in this copy. Dust Jacket is in very good condition, without tears or chips or other damage. All edges clean, neat and free of foxing. In fine unread condition. The book is available and will be PACKAGED professionally, DISPATCHED promptly and a TRACKING NUMBER will be advised by Australia Post.. This is the first volume in an ambitious and widely anticipated history of Keneally's native Australia. This opening effort begins with a geologic description of the formation of the continent as it separated from the supercontinent of Pangaea about 140 million years ago. It concludes with the Eureka miner rebellion, a critical episode in the development of Australian democracy. Keneally, a Booker Prize-winning novelist and nonfiction writer, utilizes some wonderful vignettes gleaned from primary sources to advance his narrative. Aborigines, transplanted convicts, settlers, soldiers, and miners all play their part. Keneally conveys the sense of wonder and confusion as Aborigines encounter their first European. Convicts describe the suffering aboard transport ships and the grind of carving out an existence in a new and harsh land. There are recurring themes: first, Keneally stresses the exotic quality of the land, produced by its geographic isolation. And, second, he traces the steady evolution from a hierarchical social structure to a more egalitarian, democratic civilization. This is a wonderful beginning of a project that should provide enjoyment for both general readers and scholars. Quantity Available: 1. Shipped Weight: 1-2 kilos. Category: History; Australian History; Australia; ISBN: . ISBN/EAN: 9781741750690. Pictures of this item not already displayed here available upon request. Inventory No: 10403. . 9781741750690 This book weighs over one kilogram, and may involve extra shipping charges if posted to some countries..