Joseph Mason. Assigned Convict 1831-1837

Cover Type: Hardcover
Book Condition: Very Good
Jacket Condition: Very Good
Publisher: Melbourne University Publishing
Publisher Place: Australia
Publisher Year: 1992
Edition: First Edition

Description: 182 pages. Ex-Library. (only one small stamp on inside page). Book and Jacket are both in Very good condition throughout.

Publishers Description: This is a fresh and unique first-person account of the convict experience-a new and invaluable primary source. Joseph Mason, an English agricultural labourer, was convicted and transported for taking part in mass protests against the introduction of threshing machines, which were threatening to destroy the livelihood of English rural workers. Joseph was unusual among labourers in being a fluent writer and a voracious reader. His manuscript, only recently discovered, is published here for the first time. In it, he vividly describes life on the frontier, his encounters with Aboriginal people, and the flora and fauna of the bush. He tells of the living and working conditions of assigned convicts, and early horticultural and farming practices. The description of his explorations along the Nepean River captures the dramatic landscape of the gorge so accurately that it could serve as a guide for the modern bushwalker. This is a fresh and unique first-person account of the convict experience-a new and invaluable addition to the primary sources of Australian colonial history.

ISBN: 9780522847468