The First Fleet: The Real Story

Front Cover
Black Inc., Dec 12, 2012 - History - 288 pages
“Alan Frost is the myth-buster of Australian history...His work should be studied not only by students but anyone interested in the birth of a nation.” — the Age

In 1787 a convoy of eleven ships, carrying about 1400 people, set out from England for Botany Bay. According to the conventional account, it was a shambolic affair: under-prepared, poorly equipped and ill-disciplined. Robert Hughes condemned the organisers’ “muddle and lack of foresight”, while Manning Clark described scenes of “indescribable misery and confusion”.

In The First Fleet: The Real Story, Alan Frost draws on previously forgotten records to debunk these persistent myths. He shows that the voyage was in fact meticulously planned – reflecting its importance to the British government’s secret ambitions for imperial expansion. He examines the ships and supplies, passengers and behind-the-scenes discussions. In the process, he reveals the hopes and schemes of those who planned the voyage, and the experiences of those who made it.

‘It is almost certain that Frost knows more than anybody else about the early maritime history of this land ... This book will surely alter the way Sydney sees its history.’ — Geoffrey Blainey, The Weekend Australian

From inside the book

Contents

AnnouncingtheDecision
17
Society Law and Governance
27
Officials and Officers
49
Ships Crews Marines Convicts
64
The Ships
81
Equipping the Colonists
95
Loading the Ships and Embarking the People
114
AtPortsmouth
129
Preparing Bodiesfor the Voyage
140
Leaving the World
159
No CheaperMode?
181
Conclusion
198
Acknowledgments
217
Select Bibliography
250
Copyright

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About the author (2012)

Alan Frost is Emeritus Professor of History at La Trobe University in Melbourne. His previous books include The Voyage of the Endeavour; Arthur Phillip, 1738–1814: His Voyaging; Botany Bay Mirages; and The Global Reach of Empire.

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