Flash Jim: The Astonishing Story of the Convict Fraudster Who Wrote Australia’s First Dictionary by Kel Richards

Flash Jim: The Astonishing Story of the Convict Fraudster Who Wrote Australia’s First Dictionary by Kel Richards

Home/Store/Subjects/True Crime/Convict History
SKU TBM9781460759769
AU$27.00
Out of Stock
Out of Stock
Product Details
Book Type: SECONDHAND
ISBN: 9781460759769
Author: Kel Richards
Edition: 1st Edition
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Place: Sydney NSW
Year: 2022
Format: Paperback
Pages: 320 pages
Period: 18th and 19th Century

Book Description

Secondhand. Very good condition. Minor wear to book edges, otherwise fine condition.

The astonishing story of James Hardy Vaux, writer of Australia's first dictionary and first true-crime memoir.

If you wear 'togs', tell a 'yarn', call someone 'sly', or refuse to 'snitch' on a friend then you are talking like a convict.

These words, and hundreds of others, once left colonial magistrates baffled and police confused. So comprehensible to us today, the flash language of criminals and convicts had marine officer Watkin Tench complaining about the need for an interpreter in the colonial court.

Luckily, by 1811, that man was at hand. James Hardy Vaux - a conman, pickpocket, absconder and thief, born into comfortable circumstances in England, was so drawn to a life of crime he was transported to Australia ... not once, but three times!

Vaux's talents, glibness and audacity were extraordinary, and perceiving an opportunity to ingratiate himself with authorities during his second sentence, he set about writing a dictionary of the criminal slang of the colony, which was recognised for its uniqueness and taken back to England to be published.

Kel Richards tells Vaux's story brilliantly, with the help of Vaux's own extraordinarily candid memoir of misdeeds, one of the first true-crime memoirs ever published. A ripping read - especially for those who appreciate the power of words and the convict contribution to our idiom. (back cover)

Show More
Share this product with your friends
ShareSharePin it
Flash Jim: The Astonishing Story of the Convict Fraudster Who Wrote Australia’s First Dictionary by Kel Richards
Home/Store/Subjects/True Crime/Convict History
You May Also Like
A New History of the Irish in Australia by Elizabeth Malcolm and Dianne Hall
A New History of the Irish in Australia by Elizabeth Malcolm and Dianne Hall
A New History of the Irish in Australia by Elizabeth Malcolm and Dianne Hall
AU$21.00
Mutiny, Terrorism, Riots and Murder: A History of Sedition in Australia and New Zealand by Kevin Baker
Mutiny, Terrorism, Riots and Murder: A History of Sedition in Australia and New Zealand by Kevin Baker
Mutiny, Terrorism, Riots and Murder: A History of Sedition in Australia and New Zealand by Kevin Baker
AU$40.00
Across Great Divides: True Stories of Life at Sydney Cove by Susan E Boyer
Across Great Divides: True Stories of Life at Sydney Cove by Susan E Boyer
Across Great Divides: True Stories of Life at Sydney Cove by Susan E Boyer
AU$26.00
Out of Stock
The Catalpa Rescue: The Gripping Story of the Most Dramatic and Successful Prison Break in Australian History by Peter FitzSimons
The Catalpa Rescue: The Gripping Story of the Most Dramatic and Successful Prison Break in Australian History by Peter FitzSimons
The Catalpa Rescue: The Gripping Story of the Most Dramatic and Successful Prison Break in Australian History by Peter FitzSimons
AU$23.00
Get notified when next available
Out of Stock
Leave Granted: The Story of Joseph Buswell's Tribulations and Triumphs by Phillip Pendal
Leave Granted: The Story of Joseph Buswell's Tribulations and Triumphs by Phillip Pendal
Leave Granted: The Story of Joseph Buswell's Tribulations and Triumphs by Phillip Pendal
AU$40.00
Get notified when next available
  • Search Books
  • Favorites
  • Shopping Bag
  • Gift Cards
Display prices in:AUD
Skip to main content
Book Merchant Bookstore
Menu
Storefront
Subjects
Rewards
About
Happy Readers
Contact
Acknowledgement

© 2022 Book Merchant Bookstore 14 Thetis Link Dalyellup Bunbury Western Australia 6230

Terms & ConditionsPrivacy PolicyShipping & Payment InfoReturn PolicyAbout UsCookie settingsReport abuse
Made with Ecwid by Lightspeed