Families in Colonial Australia edited by Patricia Grimshaw, Chris McConville and Ellen McEwen

Book Description

Secondhand. Very good condition. Minor wear to book corners and edges. Sunning to foredges. Dust jacket has light creasing at edges and spine. Dust jacket is now enclosed in a glossy protective dust jacket cover. Interior and binding are still very good.

Traditionally, the family - the web of personal experience within it - has been relegated to the private domain; only recently have social historians come to recognise its value in revealing the process by which the day-to-day reality of the past can be made central to our history.

This collection presents the work of historians who have chosen to explore the possibilities of this new field. Most see themselves as social historians; some have come to this area from an interest in women's history; all are concerned to illuminate forgotten or hitherto-unexamined aspects of the lives of ordinary Australians.

The accounts presented here span all mainland states and cover the full span of the colonial period, from the convict period to the early 20th century. They introduce the reader to families in the city and the bush, to the families of the poor and the well-to-do, to those falling apart or settled into comfortable routines.