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The Explorers: Stories of Discovery and Adventure from the Australian Frontier
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11 new or used available from £5.75
Average customer review:
Product Description
From the account of how a convict rescued Eliza Fraser to the story of Maori chief Te Pahi saving lives of condemned thieves in Sydney in 1805 and how John Ainsworth Horrocks was shot by his camel, The Explorers takes us beyond the frontier into a world of danger, compassion, humour, brutality and death. It not only includes the work of Wills, Giles, Leichhardt, Stuart, Eyre and Mitchell, but a host of other fascinating figures too, documenting almost four centuries of exploration.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #132073 in Books
- Published on: 2000-10
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Paperback
- 400 pages
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Tim Flannery was born in Melbourne in 1956. He lives in Sydney, where he is Principal Research Scientist at the Australian Museum. In 1998 he was appointed Visiting Professor of Australian Studies at Harvard University.
Customer Reviews
Wonderful compilation of spirited explorations
What possesses a person to set off into the trackless wastes of Australia, with the almost certain knowledge that death lies waiting to welcome them into his scrawny arms? Reading this book gives you some of the answers and some of the idea of the pain and suffering undergone by these explorers (and in some cases the hapless Aborigines coerced into seeking water). There are some amazingly good writers within these pages, quite unexpected when you consider that many of them were ex-convicts or self-taught (and comparing them to some contemporary American explorers); there are some delightful descriptive passages and the occasional bout of whimsy, especially the anecdote of how 'Rocket' got his name - I was in hoots! An excellent read, which encouraged me to order several old copies of explorers' accounts. Thoroughly recommended!
Fascinating anthology of Australian exploration
This an outstanding collection of short stories collected from a wide variety of Australian explorers. I read the whole book from cover to cover in one go - but it could just as easily be dipped into on an occassional 'chapter by chapter' basis. Stories include the camel who shot his owner, the first kangaroo sighting, the 'Dig Tree' and many more. It inspired me to go on and read some of the different original author's works in full.
