Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
 
A Commonwealth of Thieves: The Improbable Birth of Australia
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images
Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

A Commonwealth of Thieves: The Improbable Birth of Australia (Hardcover)

by Thomas Keneally (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

Available from these sellers.


13 used from £1.78
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Paperback (Reprint) 10 used & new from £10.07
Audio CD (Audiobook,CD,Unabridged) £19.49 £17.55 13 used & new from £16.45
MP3 CD (Audiobook,MP3 Audio,Unabridged) £12.49 £12.49 12 used & new from £10.87

Special Offers and Product Promotions

Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested in These Sponsored Links

  (What is this?)
   Birth Records Search opens new browser window
UKRecordsHub.com  -  UK birth record lookup. The UK public records directory. 
  
 

Product details

  • Hardcover: 400 pages
  • Publisher: Nan A. Talese (3 Oct 2006)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 038551459X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0385514590
  • Product Dimensions: 22.9 x 16.3 x 4.1 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 844,826 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
 
dull

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

A Commonwealth of Thieves: The Improbable Birth of Australia
59% buy the item featured on this page:
A Commonwealth of Thieves: The Improbable Birth of Australia 5.0 out of 5 stars (1)
The Fatal Shore
17% buy
The Fatal Shore 4.8 out of 5 stars (16)
£7.66
The Commonwealth of Thieves: The Story of the Founding of Australia
14% buy
The Commonwealth of Thieves: The Story of the Founding of Australia 4.0 out of 5 stars (1)
£6.99
The Explorers: Stories of Discovery and Adventure from the Australian Frontier
10% buy
The Explorers: Stories of Discovery and Adventure from the Australian Frontier 5.0 out of 5 stars (2)
£7.63
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

1 Review
5 star:
 (1)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Balanced And Expertly Researched, 20 April 2007
"A Commonwealth of Thieves - The Improbable Birth of Australia" covers the establishment of the first English settlement in New South Wales (i.e. Australia), and the stories of the convicts, free men, and military personnel who played a role. He also has some stories of the unfortunate aboriginal population who were the first to encounter the European settlers.

The book is divided into two sections. The first section covers the decision to send the convicts, the preparation for the first fleet, the voyage of the first fleet, the evaluation of where to build the colony, and the establishment of the colony by the members of the first fleet. The second section covers additional shipments of convicts to the area, the continued growth of the colony and the interactions with the native population, and concludes with the departure of the colony's first governor, Arthur Phillip.

This is one of the balanced historical accounts on any period of history that I have ever read. Thomas Keneally does an exceptional job of relating the stories of the people and events without choosing sides. There is, of course, ample opportunity to criticize the Europeans, or to defend their actions, but Keneally stays away from that discussion, and simply relates what happened. He does offer the historical perspective of the time on the events as gathered from numerous resources. For the rest, he leaves the reader to make their own conclusions.

The research that Thomas Keneally did for this book is also superb. He draws from official historical records, as well as numerous personal journals from a fairly large number of the people involved. From these sources he builds a history which not only covers the settlement, but then blends that with biographical sketches. He provides an excellent bibliography as well.

This is an excellent book which covers the subject incredibly well. The writing is clear and concise. The only minor negative would be that the narrative can be a little dry at times. This is not a big problem though, and the book is definitely worth reading if you are interested in the early history of Australia.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 

   

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject













i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

Ad

Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.