Illustrated History of New South Wales by Cedric Flower

Illustrated History of New South Wales

by Cedric Flower

Rigby, 1981, [First Edition], ISBN 0727014056, colour photographic plates, black and white photographs throughout,  sepia photographic endpapers, hardcover, dustjacket

Very Good Condition, a little edge and shelf wear, a little rubbing and bumping to edges and corners, no inscriptions, dustjacket shows a little edge and shelf wear with a little, creasing and rubbing, chipping and small tears (see photographs)

“New South Wales is one of the world’s great success stories.  From a lonely convict settlement on an almost unknown shore, there has developed a vigorous and prosperous community stretching from the sophistication of Sydney to the isolation of Tibooburra.
Cedric Flower tells the whole story in his lively text for this book, illustrated with many paintings, drawings, and photographs.  He tells of the State’s beginnings as an audacious social experiment, when the unlucky voyagers in the First Fleet were sent out to create a self-supporting gaol and almost perished in the process. But convict life did not consist only of suffering and there were such success stories as that of Samuel Terry.  Transported for petty theft, e became the richest man in New South Wales.  He brings to life such colourful characters as john Macaurthur, who fought a duel with his commanding officer and later became a pastoral prince; James O’Farrell who tried to assassinate Prince Alfred; Captain de Groot who beat Premier Lang to the opening of Sydney Harbour Bridge; and Henry Parkes whose sublime dream of Federation was not achieved until after his death.”