Settlers and Convicts, or, Recollections of Sixteen Years’ Labour in the Australian Backwoods by Alexander Harris, an Emigrant Mechanic

Book Description

Secondhand. Good condition. Wear to book corners and edges. Sunning to foredges. Previous owner has signed inside page.

First published in 1847, mystery surrounds the true identity of the author of this account of New South Wales in the 1820s and 1830s, but many believe it was Alexander Harris.

Alexander Harris had a keen eye and an expressive pen. A sense of freshness, adventure, and wonder at the unknown in a strange new land is apparent on every page. He is awed by the splendours of the ancient Australian cedar forests of the south coast of New South Wales. He describes the brutality, frequency and injustice of the floggings which were still part of the convict system. He decries the corruption and tyranny of magistrates and police. He is impressed by the warmth and equality of hospitality in the rough bush huts.

Manning Clark's foreword recounts the detective-like search for the identity of the author and considers what kind of man Alexander Harris must have been and why he wrote this account. (back cover)