A-Z of CONVICTS IN VAN DIEMEN’S LAND
$45.00
Order here
- Winner, The Children’s Book Council of Australia Eve Pownall Award for Information Books, 2015
- Longlisted, Tasmanian Premier’s Literary Prizes, 2015
- Shortlisted, NSW Premier’s Young People’s History Prize, 2015
- Shortlisted, Western Australian Premier’s Children’s Book Award, 2016
- Shortlisted, Australian Book Design Awards Best Designed Fully Illustrated Book under RRP $50, 2015
Seventy-three thousand convicts were transported to the British penal colony of Van Diemen’s Land in the first half of the nineteenth century. They played a vital role in the building of the settlements, as well as the runningof the newly established colony.
Simon Barnard’s A–Z of Convicts in Van Diemen’s Land is a rich and compelling account of the lives of the men, women and children who were transported to Tasmania for crimes ranging from stealing bread to poisoning family members. Their sentences, punishments, achievements and suffering make for fascinating reading.
And the spectacular illustrations, each one carefully drawn in meticulous detail from contemporary records, bring this extraordinary history to life.
Watch an interview with ABC 7.30 or read more here.
Read Simon’s article on learning history at ABC Splash.
‘A big, beautiful, funny, fascinating thrill-ride of convict esoterica.’
Nick Cave
‘Australian convict history is a crowded field, but Barnard’s detailed and vivid illustrations breathe fresh life into it…Every school library should own the A-Z of Convicts in Van Diemen’s Land…not to mention interested adults.’
Australian Book Review
‘Barnard’s impressive craftsmanship has produced a truly handsome book design that pays loving homage to its 19th century sources…School students often complain about the dullness of Australian history. Barnard’s highly entertaining book is the perfect antidote to the usual sober textbook treatment of the convict era.’
Reading Time
‘All schools should have a copy of Simon Barnard’s A-Z of Convicts of Van Diemen’s Land’
David Hunt, author of Girt: The Unauthorised History of Australia
‘A lively, detailed and richly illustrated account of the lives of convicts sent to Van Diemen’s land.’
Herald Sun on A-Z of Convicts in Van Diemen’s Land
‘Simon Barnard brings Tasmania’s remarkable convict story to life.’
James Boyce, author of Van Diemen’s Land
A rich and compelling account of the lives of the men, women and children who were transported to Tasmania for crimes ranging from stealing bread to poisoning family members.’
Australian Education Union Magazine
‘In a time when we, as descendants no longer wish to wash away the ‘convict stain’, this book is a wonderful history for as wide as possible an audience.’
Tasmanian Times
