Our Home In Australia by Joseph Elliot

Our Home In Australia

A Description of Cottage Life in 1860

by Joseph Elliot

The Flannel Flower Press, 1984, [First Edition], duo-tone photographs, illustrated, duo-tone frontispiece, hardcover, dustjacket, ISBN 0959492348

Fine Condition, minor edge and shelf wear

'This book is based on a single remarkable letter, written in 1860 by a settler in Australia to his mother in England.  The writer, Joseph Elliot, was a newspaperman and the purpose of his letter was to encourage his mother to settle in Australia.  Writing at night over a period of several months, he produced an extraordinary document which is full of warmth, humour and the rich pattern of Victorian family life.
In crisp, clear and highly readable terms Elliot produces fascinating images of a Victorian family at home; his inquisitive infant son, Joseph, one, foraging in the cupboards, picking the pins out of the pincushion and being lifted by his big sister, Rebecca, five, to hammer at the keys of the piano.  We can see young James, three, sneaking into his parents' bed in the morning 'for a cuddle & a kiss & a bit of fun'.
The intensely human and appealing book is complemented by a Foreword by Joseph Elliot's grandson, Dr. Brian Elliot, and a carefully researched architectural commentary by Stefan Pikusa.'