Burke and Wills: From Melbourne to Myth by Tim Bonyhady

Book Description

Secondhand. Very good condition. Minor wear to book corners and edges. Tiny mark on the right foredge. The dust jacket has fading at the spine and minor scratches to the back cover. Interior and binding are still excellent.

Burke and Wills are probably the most famous Australian explorers. Ever since their deaths at Coopers Creek in 1861, their names have been household words. Yet the Victorian Exploring Expedition, as it originally was called, has been the subject of remarkably little serious attention. Many aspects of the expedition's course have remained obscure. Even less attention has been paid to why Victoria mounted the expedition or how Burke and Wills became its leaders. The process by which the Explorers were commemorated as heroes and became part of the Australian imagination has been ignored.

This book answers these questions. In addition to presenting the most detailed account of the expedition and its origins, the book traces the different ways in which the explorers have been perceived and presented over the last 130 years.

An essential account of one of Australia's most remarkable stories and a rich source book for anyone interested in Australian history and culture.