The Fatal Shore

Author(s): Robert Hughes

Australian Studies

"In 1787, the twenty-eighth year of the reign of King George III, the British Government sent a fleet to colonize Australia. An epic description of the brutal transportation of men, women and children out of Georgian Britain into a horrific penal system which was to be the precursor to the Gulag and was the origin of Australia. The Fatal Shoreis the prize-winning, scholarly, brilliantly entertaining narrative that has given its true history to Australia."


Product Information

'An extraordinarily vivid yet authentic account of the birthpangs of a nation. A work of real distinction' Philip Ziegler

"A unique phantasmagoria of crime and punishment, which combines the shadowy terrors of Goya with the tumescent life of Dickens" Peter Ackroyd, The Times "A triumph of research, passion and fine writing. I found it an extraordinary and compelling book to read, one of fantastic scope and imagination; truly a tour de force" William Shawcross "Riveting" The Book Magazine "With its mood and stature...The Fatal Shore is well on its way to becoming the standard opus on the convict years" Sydney Sunday Telegraph "An enthralling account of the convict settlement of Australia, thoroughly researched and excellently written, brimming over with rare and pungent characters, and tales of pathos, bravery, and horror" Peter Matthiessen

General Fields

  • : 9780099448549
  • : Random House UK
  • : VINTAGE ARROW - MASS MARKET
  • : 0.583
  • : November 2002
  • : 198mm X 129mm X 41mm
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : 720
  • : 01
  • : Paperback
  • : Robert Hughes