Robbery Under Arms

Robbery Under Arms

Author: Rolf Boldrewood

Publisher: Univ. of Queensland Press

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 842

ISBN-13: 9780702235757

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Robbery Under Arms was acclaimed as an Australian classic almost immediately after it appeared in book form in the late 1880s. It was praised for its excitement, romance and authentic picture of 1850s colonial life. As the first writer to attempt a long narrative in the voice of an uneducated Australian bushman, Rolf Boldrewood had created a story with enduring cultural resonance. Its continuing appeal and popularity have seen the tale frequently adapted for stage, radio, film and television. During all of this time the novel's text was not stable. It lost some material accidentally in its early typesettings, and these omissions were never repaired. It was later abridged by its author at the publisher's request, but the publisher botched his instructions. And, as with any much-reprinted work, thousands of small changes gradually crept into the text. This Academy Edition is the first full-scale critical edition of the novel. It presents the text as it originally appeared in instalments in the pages of the Sydney Mail in 1882-83. It allows readers to experience the first-person narration that Henry Lawson was inspired by, to appreciate how the special qualities of voice were partially flattened over time and to know exactly what material was omitted. (Publisher's blurb).


The Last Bushrangers

The Last Bushrangers

Author: Mike Munro

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 2019-09-01

Total Pages: 180

ISBN-13: 1460710657

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The story of Australia's last bushranging gang - the murderous Kenniffs. Easter Sunday, 1902, deep in the Carnarvon Ranges a police constable and station manager are slain then later incinerated, their remains stuffed into saddlebags. Accused of the ghoulish crime are two members of the bushranging Kenniff gang, fast gaining notoriety as Queensland's equivalent of the Kelly gang. Yet the murders are a bold escalation from the petty fraud, horse stealing and cattle duffing the gang is known for. Starving and exhausted after three long months on the run, the brothers are finally captured, and so the wheels of justice start to turn. The story of the Kenniffs has fascinated Mike Munro for decades - ever since he found out these last bushrangers were his family. If not for Mike's grandfather illegally changing his name in shame from Kenniff to Munro, this major figure in Australian television would be known to us as Mike Kenniff. But who were Mike's relatives? What drove them to their life of crime? And were the brothers really responsible for such terrible murders? In answering these questions Mike Munro takes us back to the dawn of Federation, when bush skills and horsemanship could help outlaws escape the police, when remote pastoralists were vulnerable targets for thieves and marauders, when race and class divides were entrenched - but resented - and when brutal, feckless outlaws faced the ultimate punishment. This is a story that is both gripping and personal, and an insight into an Australia just coming of age. PRAISE FOR THE LAST BUSHRANGERS 'All families have a secret ... but Mike's is a doozy! This touching, TRUE story is a terrific read!' Di Morrissey 'A thoroughly informed, lively and balanced page-turner' Steven Carroll, Sydney Morning Herald


Captain Thunderbolt

Captain Thunderbolt

Author: Jane Smith

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2014-02-02

Total Pages: 75

ISBN-13: 1925520730

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Frederick Wordsworth Ward, better known as 'Captain Thunderbolt', had one of the longest bushranging 'careers' in history. Plaguing New South Wales for almost seven years, he enjoyed much public support as he was intelligent, and charming. This book describes some of Thunderbolt's exploits and refutes many of the popular myths that surround him.


True History of the Kelly Gang

True History of the Kelly Gang

Author: Peter Carey

Publisher: Vintage Canada

Published: 2010-10-22

Total Pages: 386

ISBN-13: 0307368653

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SOONTO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE The international bestseller, Booker Prize winner, and winner of the 2001 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best Book. Out of 19th century Australia rides a hero of his people and a man for all nations: Ned Kelly, the son of poor Irish immigrants, viewed by the authorities as a thief (especially of horses) and, as a cold-blooded killer. To the people, though, he was a patriot hounded unfairly by rich English landlords and their stooges. In the end, Kelly and his so-called gang (his younger brother and two friends) led a massive police manhunt on a wild goose chase that lasted twenty months, in which Ned’s talents as a bushman were augmented by bank robberies and the support of nearly everyone not in a uniform. His one demand – for which he would have surrendered himself was his jailed mother’s freedom. Executed by hanging more than a century ago, speaking as if from the grave, Kelly still resonates as the most potent legend in the land down under.


The Bushranger's Wife

The Bushranger's Wife

Author: Cheryl Adnams

Publisher: HarperCollins Australia

Published: 2019-08-01

Total Pages: 259

ISBN-13: 148929113X

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He stole her locket ... she stole his heart. Central Highlands of Victoria, 1861 Jack the Devil's reputation precedes him. The most notorious bushranger on the Central Highlands, nothing throws him off his game ... until he holds up Prudence Stanforth and her grandmother. Jack can't help but be captivated by the feisty Pru, with her sweeping red hair and complete lack of fear. Weeks later, Pru crosses paths with the respectable businessman Jack Fairweather, and it's not long before she recognises him as the bushranger who stole her beloved necklace. His price for the locket's return is her silence ... and a kiss. A kiss that sparks something inside them both. When Pru discovers her grandmother has been keeping a devastating secret, running away with Jack the Devil is the perfect escape for her broken heart. The dangerous nature of his less-than-salubrious occupation is a poetic contradiction to her sheltered upbringing and only fuels their passion. Until that danger becomes a reality. Between the return of dark elements from Jack's past and authorities intent on his capture, Jack and Pru must fight for their future together ... or risk losing everything. A rollicking historical tale about following your heart, finding home in unexpected places - and bushrangers - for readers of Darry Fraser and Alison Stuart. PRAISE: 'The Bushranger's Wife is a story filled with passion, danger, adventure and the true power of love. It is fast-paced and heartwarming, flirty and sensual. It has all the elements of a perfect romance read.' Beauty and Lace 'A dangerous bushranger, a feisty young woman ahead of her time, a stolen necklace and an undeniable love tryst defines this heart pounding tale from Cheryl Adnams ... This is one fiery tale!' Mrs B Book Reviews


The Horse Who Bit a Bushranger

The Horse Who Bit a Bushranger

Author: Jackie French

Publisher: HarperCollins Australia

Published: 2010-08-01

Total Pages: 37

ISBN-13: 0730492680

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An exciting new tale of a brumby, a boy and a bushranger in the Animal Stars series. A story of survival, second chances ... and a dance with danger. Young Billy Marks is a pickpocket, transported to the penal colony of New South Wales. He reckons he'll become a bushranger - but that's before he's had a chance to see the bush up close. And when he buys the big white brumby stallion, covered with scars but refusing to bend to any man's will, he knows he made the right choice. Billy's daughter Mattie Jane thinks her father can ride any horse who ever lived ... and so can she! But when tragedy strikes, the Marks clan, including Mattie's beloved horse, Rebel Yell, will need all their courage to keep the family together. The deeds and disputed stories of Jackie French's own ancestors inspire another novel - a tale of proud horses, trailblazing farmers and their resilient wives, and desperate men forced to break the law to survive. PRAISE FOR ANIMAL STARS SERIES: 'beautifully written ... a significant addition to the books about Gallipoli' - ReadPlus.com.au 'marvel at Jackie French's versatility and her skill in making the past live for young readers' - Magpies


Tommy Bell Bushranger Boy: The Horse Thief

Tommy Bell Bushranger Boy: The Horse Thief

Author: Jane Smith

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2016-09-05

Total Pages: 55

ISBN-13: 1925520765

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Included on the South Australian Premier’s Reading Challenge list.An exciting new Australian adventure series full of danger, daring and wild colonial boys! Tommy Bell, Bushranger Boy is a wonderful new series featuring Tommy’s time travelling escapades that take him face-to-face with some of Australia’s most notorious bushrangers. The hero of the series, Tommy Bell, lives in regional NSW in contemporary times but is able to travel back in time to the gold rush days by wearing an old bushranger’s hat that he discovered on his grandfather’s farm. Tommy and his friends find themselves up close and personal with one of Australia’s well known outlaws. With each adventure there is plenty of danger and excitement: armed hold-ups, sieges, frauds, shoot-outs, police chases, jail-time and much more. Each book cleverly incorporates a parallel story from Tommy’s twenty-first century life that tests his friendships and develops his character. Book 2 – The Horse Thief Tommy Bell is happy when the popular new kid at school wants him to join his gang. His new friend is trouble but he’s not half as much trouble as the bushranger that Tommy meets when his magic hat takes him back to the gold rush days. Tommy finds himself in the middle of a horse robbery, a police chase and a prison escape!