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A Commonwealth of Thieves by Thomas Keneally
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A Commonwealth of Thieves

The Improbable Birth of Australia

By Thomas Keneally

By Thomas Keneally

By Thomas Keneally

By Thomas Keneally

Best Seller

Category: World History

Category: World History

Paperback $16.00

Dec 04, 2007 | ISBN 9781400079568

Ebook $10.99

Dec 04, 2007 | ISBN 9780307387578

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    A Commonwealth of Thieves by Thomas Keneally
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    Dec 04, 2007 | ISBN 9781400079568

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      Dec 04, 2007 | ISBN 9781400079568

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    About A Commonwealth of Thieves

    In this spirited history of the remarkable first four years of the convict settlement of Australia, Thomas Keneally offers us a human view of a fascinating piece of history. Combining the authority of a renowned historian with a brilliant narrative flair, Keneally gives us an inside view of this unprecedented experiment from the perspective of the new colony’s governor, Arthur Phillips. Using personal journals and documents, Keneally re-creates the hellish overseas voyage and the challenges Phillips faced upon arrival: unruly convicts, disgruntled officers, bewildered and hostile natives, food shortages, and disease. He also offers captivating portrayals of Aborigines and of convict settlers who were determined to begin their lives anew. A Commonwealth of Thieves immerses us in the fledgling penal colony and conjures up the thrills and hardships of those first four improbable years.

    About A Commonwealth of Thieves

    In this spirited history of the remarkable first four years of the convict settlement of Australia, Thomas Keneally offers us a human view of a fascinating piece of history. Combining the authority of a renowned historian with a brilliant narrative flair, Keneally gives us an inside view of this unprecedented experiment from the perspective of the new colony’s governor, Arthur Phillips. Using personal journals and documents, Keneally re-creates the hellish overseas voyage and the challenges Phillips faced upon arrival: unruly convicts, disgruntled officers, bewildered and hostile natives, food shortages, and disease. He also offers captivating portrayals of Aborigines and of convict settlers who were determined to begin their lives anew. A Commonwealth of Thieves immerses us in the fledgling penal colony and conjures up the thrills and hardships of those first four improbable years.

    Read An Excerpt

    Read An Excerpt

    Also by Thomas Keneally

    A River Town
    A Woman of the Inner Sea
    Abraham Lincoln
    Searching for Schindler
    Office of Innocence
    See all books by Thomas Keneally

    Also by Thomas Keneally

    A River Town
    A Woman of the Inner Sea
    Abraham Lincoln
    Searching for Schindler
    Office of Innocence
    See all books by Thomas Keneally

    About Thomas Keneally

    Thomas Keneally has won international acclaim for his novels Schindler’s List (the basis for the movie and the winner of the Booker Prize), The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, Confederates, Gossip from the Forest, The Playmaker, Woman of the Inner Sea, A River Town, Office of Innocence, and The Tyrant’s Novel…. More about Thomas Keneally

    About Thomas Keneally

    Thomas Keneally has won international acclaim for his novels Schindler’s List (the basis for the movie and the winner of the Booker Prize), The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, Confederates, Gossip from the Forest, The Playmaker, Woman of the Inner Sea, A River Town, Office of Innocence, and The Tyrant’s Novel…. More about Thomas Keneally

    Product Details

    Category: World History

    Paperback | $16.00
    Published by Anchor
    Dec 04, 2007 | 400 Pages | 5-3/16 x 8 | ISBN 9781400079568

    Category: World History

    Ebook | $10.99
    Published by Anchor
    Dec 04, 2007 | 400 Pages | ISBN 9780307387578

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    Praise

    "A readable, anecdote-packed account of a tragic colonial experiment." —Boston Globe"Superb. . . . Keneally uses his novelist’s skill to construct a lively mosaic from contemporary accounts." —Financial Times"Evocative. . . . Weaving together many individual stories, Keneally paints an impressionistic picture of a society in the making." —The Washington Post Book World“Keneally deploys his skills as a novelist to give depth to his work as an historian.” —The Economist

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