Convict Society and its Enemies: A History of Early New South Wales by J B Hirst

Book Description

Secondhand. Near fine condition. Dust jacket is in very good condition with light wear to edges. Dust jacket is now enclosed in a glossy protective cover.

Corrupt masters, brutalised convicts, a debased slave society - these were claims made by the British opponents of transportation in the late 1830s to discredit New South Wales society. They still powerfully affect our view of it. How far are they justified?

This book is a new examination of the workings of the convict system. It also scrutinises wider society to determine how far its structure and towns were affected by the presence of convicts and ex-convicts.

At no stage, the author concludes, can early NSW society be compared with a jail, and it never became a slave society.

Throughout the book, there are fresh insights and challenging reappraisals in this lively, well-written account of a unique society, which takes discussion of early NSW onto a new plane.