Sydney: The Story of a City [Hardcover]

Geoffrey Moorhouse (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 20, 2000

Sydney's harbor establishes it as one of the most attractive modern cities, but its beginnings suggest something different. In 1770, the British Parliament saw the area as a solution to England's overcrowded prisons. On arriving at the harbor, the first "convicts" found themselves in one of the hottest climates in the world, and were greeted by aboriginal natives whose curiosity was matched only by their desire for the newcomers to leave. Sydney is a place where gravestones have such inscriptions as "Be ready mates, that's all!," where people wear shorts and sandals to one of the most renowned opera houses in the world, where the working man fights for what he's got and never backs down. Geoffrey Moorhouse brilliantly describes the city, its appetites, and its character-from its colonial beginnings to its becoming the host city of the 2000 Olympics. His curious knowledge, remarkable insight, and marvelous storytelling capture Sydney's warmth, texture, resilience, and loyalty.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Sir Thomas Beecham wondered why it hadn't been called Herbert. Captain Cook even managed to miss the harbor's entrance, leaving it to Arthur Phillip to discover the site for what has become one of the most vibrant cities in the world. Since the convict-laden First Fleet arrived in 1788, Sydney has experienced its share of growing pains, but, perched on the brink of the 21st century, it is now a racially diverse, culturally abundant hotspot emerging triumphantly from its adolescence.

Geoffrey Moorhouse embraces the city with the glorious energy of one who is smitten. The bibliography attests to the dusty volumes devoured to produce a narrative stuffed with fact, anecdote, and entertaining hearsay that glides from objective to subjective perspective with an imperious swagger. A broad brush is successfully employed, for the author's winning enthusiasm and eclectically baggy rendition refreshes a palette fatigued by the self-conscious cynicism of which so much modern travel writing reeks. Giving due consideration to ethnic issues both indigenous and immigrant, sporting heritage, architecture, politics, Mardi Gras, ANZAC Day, and the city's deep-rooted rivalry with the Other Place--Melbourne--Moorhouse cannot help but constantly return to Sydney's most cherished heirloom, its focus and raison d'être: the Harbour (where, these days, arriving vessels bear a different and more affluent kind of passenger). An intermingling of past and snapshot present gives rise to a valuable sociological chronicle both old-fashioned and progressive in the best sense of both words--as well as providing a darned good read, whether or not you're familiar with the city. If not, chances are you'll very quickly want to be. --David Vincent, Amazon.co.uk

From Publishers Weekly

The great navigator James Cook landed at Botany Bay on Australia's southeastern flank in 1770, deemed the area "safe and commodious," and weighed anchor a week later, cruising right past one of the greatest natural harbors on the planet. It's a characteristic wrinkle in the history of Sydney Harbor, and one among many canny observations found in this enjoyable introduction to Australia's cultural capital. Prolific historian Moorhouse opens with a dazzling overture to the harbor, "the alpha and the omega" of Sydney, and rambles through the city's colonial, military, agricultural and immigration highlights, pausing at cultural points of interest like Sydney's famed cricket ground or the extravagant Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade. You can almost taste the local Chardonnay and rock oysters as Moorhouse relishes the urban panorama at Circular Quay, and he's spot on in his splendid, mocking portrait of Sydney's urban professional class, whose members are found sipping lattes at the landmark Queen Victoria Building, with cell-phones buzzing and Filofaxes at the ready. Moorhouse also studies the fierce battles waged over Sydney's future, such as the struggle at Woolloomooloo, one of the city's oldest suburbs, which succumbed to developers in the 1970s and was only partially saved by neighborhood advocates. The book can be scattershot, grazing the city's complex aboriginal roots in one chapter and giving a travel guide gloss on the Royal Botanic Gardens (a "miracle of tranquillity") in another. But for a place described as "the accidental city," Moorhouse's generous, ambling spirit is perhaps fitting enough. (June) FYI: This year's Summer Olympic Games will be held in Sydney, in September 2000.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 296 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 1 edition (June 20, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0151006016
• ISBN-13: 978-0151006014
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,559,999 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just in time for the Olympics, June 27, 2000

By 

sjadler - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sydney: The Story of a City (Hardcover)

Sydney started out as a landing place for convicts from Great Britain. But from those humble beginnings, it has grown into one of the world's great cities. This is a "must read" for anyone planning a trip Down Under any time soon. The insights provided by the author will help the Australian visitor have a much better understanding of the city before him. With the Olympics coming soon to Sydney, the timing of this release couldn't have been better. This is a book worth the investment of time and money. You'll enjoy it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just in time, June 29, 2000

By 

sjadler - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sydney: The Story of a City (Hardcover)

for the Olympics. This is an excellent pre-travel reference for anyone planning to attend the Summer Olympics in Sydney this year. The historical background will help to bring the city to life, from its beginnings as a penal colony to its growth into one of the world's truly great cities.