The First Fleet
Author | : Alan Frost |
Publisher | : ReadHowYouWant.com |
Total Pages | : 418 |
Release | : 2011 |
ISBN-10 | : 9781459624948 |
ISBN-13 | : 1459624947 |
Rating | : 4/5 (48 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: In 1787 a convoy of eleven ships, carrying about 1500 people, set out from England for Botany Bay. According to the conventional account, it was a shambolic affair: under - prepared, poorly equipped and ill - disciplined. Robert Hughes condemned the organisers' ''muddle and lack of foresight'', while Manning Clark described scenes of ''indescribable misery and confusion''. In The First Fleet: The Real Story, Alan Frost draws on previously forgotten records to debunk these persistent myths. He shows that the voyage was in fact meticulously planned - reflecting its importance to the British government's secret ambitions for imperial expansion. He examines the ships and supplies, passengers and behind - the - scenes discussions. In the process, he reveals the hopes and schemes of those who planned the voyage, and the experiences of those who made it.