A Commonwealth of Thieves: The Improbable Birth of AustraliaIn this spirited history of the remarkable first four years of the convict settlement of Australia, Thomas Keneally offers us a human view of a fascinating piece of history. Combining the authority of a renowned historian with a brilliant narrative flair, Keneally gives us an inside view of this unprecedented experiment from the perspective of the new colony’s governor, Arthur Phillips. Using personal journals and documents, Keneally re-creates the hellish overseas voyage and the challenges Phillips faced upon arrival: unruly convicts, disgruntled officers, bewildered and hostile natives, food shortages, and disease. He also offers captivating portrayals of Aborigines and of convict settlers who were determined to begin their lives anew. A Commonwealth of Thieves immerses us in the fledgling penal colony and conjures up the thrills and hardships of those first four improbable years. |
Contents
Section 1 | 3 |
Section 2 | 19 |
Section 3 | 30 |
Section 4 | 36 |
Section 5 | 49 |
Section 6 | 58 |
Section 7 | 76 |
Section 8 | 88 |
Section 18 | 190 |
Section 19 | 197 |
Section 20 | 204 |
Section 21 | 218 |
Section 22 | 230 |
Section 23 | 245 |
Section 24 | 257 |
Section 25 | 270 |
Section 9 | 96 |
Section 10 | 104 |
Section 11 | 110 |
Section 12 | 123 |
Section 13 | 135 |
Section 14 | 152 |
Section 15 | 161 |
Section 16 | 171 |
Section 17 | 186 |
Section 26 | 279 |
Section 27 | 289 |
Section 28 | 295 |
Section 29 | 305 |
Section 30 | 320 |
Section 31 | 339 |
363 | |
Section 33 | 369 |
Other editions - View all
A Commonwealth of Thieves: The Improbable Birth of Australia Thomas Keneally No preview available - 2007 |
Common terms and phrases
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