1788 [Paperback]

David Hill (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2008

Never before or since has there been an experiment quite as bold as this. Set against the backdrop of Georgian England with its peculiar mix of elegance, prosperity, progress and squalor, the story of the First Fleet is one of courage, of short-sightedness, of tragedy but above all of extraordinary resilience. It is also, of course, the story of the very first European Australians, reluctant pioneers who travelled into the unknown - the vast majority against their will - in order to form a colony by order of the King's government. Separated from loved ones and travelling in cramped conditions for the months-long journey to Botany Bay, they suffered the most unbearable hardship on arrival on Australian land where a near-famine dictated that rations be cut to the bone. But why was the settlement of New South Wales proposed in the first place? Who were the main players in a story that changed the world and ultimately forged the Australian nation? How did the initial skirmishes with the indigenous population break out and how did the relationship turn sour so quickly?

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

During his remarkable career, DAVID HILL has been Chairman, then Managing Director of the ABC, Chairman of the Australian Football Association, Chief Executive and Director of the State Rail Authority NSW and Chairman of Sydney Water Corporation and Chairman of CREATE - a national organisation responsible for representing the interests of young people and children in institutional care. He is the author of one previous book, the bestselling THE FORGOTTEN CHILDREN (Random House, 2007). He lives in Sydney.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Random House Australia; 1st Edition Paperback edition (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1741667976
• ISBN-13: 978-1741667974
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,177,753 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Botany Bay and all that!, June 7, 2009

By 

Steven C. Porter "umqhele" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 1788 (Paperback)

What to do? At Sydney airport after a long 14 hr flight from the US and just being told that the onward flight to Melbourne is delayed (yet again!) I found this book in one of the concessions. I had always known that Australia was settled by a bunch of convicts, in fact one of my grand father's great uncles was a judge in Belfast in the early 1800s and apparently his standard punishment for anybody in his courtroom was "transportation for life!" but this book gave me a very detailed and fascinating account of what actually happened. The marines and officers sent out with the convicts (men and women) suffered equally badly in the early days (who would have thunk it?), many of them "had relationships" resulting in children, and many of the marines and officers stayed on after their terms of service were over, joining with the convicts who were effectively prevented from going home because they had no money to begin the foundation of this new nation. Well worth reading to round out world history in the southern hemisphere.
One observation is that I would have appreciated some maps. The voyage from England to New South Wales colony is easy to follow in my head, as were the voyages back and for emergency supplies. But I did not know that Botany Bay is not the same as Sydney Bay until I was half way through the book. Some maps for this reader would have helped greatly.
I do recommend this book, as I nearly finished it during the wait and eventual travel time to Melbourne that day.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intelligent, Provocative, Readable, Enjoyable, March 13, 2009

By 

John Lonergan (Melbourne, Victoria Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 1788 (Paperback)

Though certainly not the first account of British migration to Australia, David Hill's "1788" is a wonderful place to start....and possibly finish. His writing is an intelligent blend of description, analysis and reflection, and he demonstrates his own history as an investigative journalist - the research is impressive, as are the insights.
The issues (what a mild word that is in this context) around British relationships with the indigenous people of eastern Australia are covered realistically and without punch-pulling - I salute Hill especially for this aspect of his book.
I really enjoyed "1788," and learned a lot from it.
Two minor issues I have, both relating to the sub-title: "The Brutal Truth of the First Fleet."
First, I didn't find it all THAT brutal, and I'm the kind of bloke who walks out of movies when the going gets rough (I only just made it through Slumdog Millionaire).
Second, the book covers much more than the First Fleet, its journey and arrival. Indeed, the arrival of the Second Fleet is a key part of the narrative, and the book ends with Phillip's departure in 1792.
But these are minor - it's a great book, worth chasing, and definitely a 5-Star read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Average history, November 20, 2011

By 

P. Bechtel (Phila, PA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 1788: The Brutal Truth of the First Fleet (Paperback)

This volume is interesting for a large number of quotes from original sources (letters, diaries, etc,) but is not in the same league of "The Fatal Shore". The writing seems like an connected series of notes and is not very readable. It seems to be written on a high school/pre-college level. For some readers the large number of quotes may be a disadvantage in interrupting the flow. I have read several different histories of Australia and found this book the most difficult to finish. I did admire the author for tracking down and editing the original source material.