Graham Seal takes us back to Australia's ignominious beginnings, when a hungry child could be transported to the other side of the globe for the theft of a handkerchief.
It was a time when men were flogged till they bled for a minor misdemeanour, or forced to walk the treadmill for hours. Teams in iron chains carved roads through sandstone cliffs with hand picks, and men could select wives from a line up at the Female Factory. From the notorious prison regimes at Norfolk Island, Port Arthur and Macquarie Harbour came chilling accounts of cruelty, murder and even cannibalism.
Despite the often harsh conditions, many convicts served their prison terms and built successful lives for themselves and their families. With a cast of colourful characters from around the country--the real Artful Dodger, intrepid bushrangers like Martin Cash and Moondyne Joe, and the legendary nurse Margaret Catchpole--Great Convict Stories offers a fascinating insight into life in Australia's first decades.
- ISBN10 176029778X
- ISBN13 9781760297787
- Publish Date 22 November 2017
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 31 March 2021
- Publish Country AU
- Imprint Allen & Unwin
- Format Paperback
- Pages 304
- Language English