A History of Tasmania

This captivating work charts the history of Tasmania from the arrival of European maritime expeditions through to the modern day.

Henry Reynolds (Author)

9781107014589, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 31 October 2011

344 pages, 15 b/w illus.
22.3 x 14.6 x 2.3 cm, 0.58 kg

This captivating work charts the history of Tasmania from the arrival of European maritime expeditions in the late eighteenth century, through to the modern day. By presenting the perspectives of both Indigenous Tasmanians and British settlers, author Henry Reynolds provides an original and engaging exploration of these first fraught encounters. Utilising key themes to bind his narrative, Reynolds explores how geography created a unique economic and migratory history for Tasmania, quite separate from the mainland experience. He offers an astute analysis of the island's economic and demographic reality, by noting that this facilitated the survival of a rich heritage of colonial architecture unique in Australia, and allowed the resident population to foster a powerful web of kinship. Reynolds' remarkable capacity to empathise with the characters of his chronicle makes this a powerful, engaging and moving account of Tasmania's unique position within Australian history.

1. Extraordinary encounters
2. Fledgling settlements
3. The Black War
4. An indelible stain?
5. The triumph of colonization
6. The politics of Van Diemen's Land
7. The convict system
8. Post penal depression
9. Reform and recovery
10. Federation and war
11. Between the wars
12. Post war Tasmania
13. Towards the bicentenary.

Subject Areas: Australasian & Pacific history [HBJM], Regional & national history [HBJ], History [HB]