This comprehensive, best-selling work profiles the history of early Australian settlement from the late 18th century onwards. Robert Hughes combines a variety of resources including letters and diaries, to provide an accurate and detailed overview of Australian colonization that includes the mass transportation of convicts from Britain and the individuals given the task of governing them and this new, wild frontier. Thrilling and educational at the same time, The Fatal Shore: The Epic of Australia's Founding provides engaging background information for those interested in visiting Australia or simply finding out more about its unique history.

The history of the birth of Australia which came out of the suffereing and brutality of England''s infamous convict transportation system. With 16 pages of illustrations and 3 maps.

The history of the birth of Australia which came out of the suffereing and brutality of England''s infamous convict transportation system. With 16 pages of illustrations and 3 maps.

Robert Hughes was born on July 28, 1938 in Sydney, Australia. He attended St. Ignatius College and Sydney University before embarking on a career as a freelance writer. In 1970, he became the art critic for Time magazine. Hughes garnered wide acclaim for his book and television series The Shock of the New. Chronicling Hughes's vast knowledge and experience with modern art, The Shock of the New presents the author's views and opinions of many facets of art including contemporary architecture. Hughes's other ground-breaking books include American Visions: The Epic History of Art in America and Culture of Complaint: The Fraying of America. In these, Hughes presents his own unique brand of criticism, not merely on art, but also on American politics. Everyone from Jesse Helms to Ronald Reagan undergoes analysis, and the state of politics in the late 20th century is often lamented.