Van Diemen's Land by James Boyce
Almost half of the convicts who came to Australia came to Van Diemen's Land. There they found a land of bounty and a penal society, a kangaroo economy and a new way of life. In this book, James Boyce shows how the convicts were changed by the natural world they encountered. Escaping authority, they soon settled away from the towns, dressing in kangaroo skin and living off the land. Behind the official attempt to create a Little England was another story of adaptation, in which the poor, the exiled and the criminal made a new home in a strange land. This is their story, the story of Van Diemen's Land. Praise Van Diemen's Land: A brilliant book and a must-read for anyone interested in how land shapes people.-Tim Flannery The most significant colonial history since The Fatal Shore. In re-imagining Australia's past, it invents a new future.-Richard Flanagan Like the best history, Van Diemen's Land is not an art-fully constructed narrative with the (inevitably inadequate) evidence banished to endnotes, but a dialogue between historian and reader as they explore the fragile sources, and the silences, together. -Inga Clendinnen The publication of Van Diemen's Land signals an entirely fresh approach to Australian history-writing . This is a brilliant publication. -Alan Atkinson A fresh and sparkling account. -Henry Reynolds
James Boyce is the multiple award-winning author of 1835 and Van Diemen's Land. He has a PhD from the University of Tasmania, where he is an honorary research associate of the School of Geography and Environmental Studies.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781863954914 |
| ISBN 10 | 1863954910 |
| Title | Van Diemen's Land |
| Author | James Boyce |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Black Inc. |
| Year published | 2010-06-15 |
| Number of pages | 400 |
| Prizes | Winner of The Tasmanian Book Prize 2009 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |