Illustrated History of Australia

This book i s an attempt to relate the story of Australia briefly and illustrate it graphically. Australians live very much in the present, seldom dwelling on the past, possibly because they see their brief history as generally a fortunate one, lacking in drama. Yet the building of a democratic nation on one of the most remote continents on earth is a story full of human drama, and I hope that this book succeeds in conveying some of its excitement. I share Mark Twain's view of Australia, written a century ago: 'Australian history is almost
always picturesque. Indeed, it is so curious and strange that it is in itself the chiefest novelty the country has to offer . . . It does not read like history, but like the most beautiful lies . . . full of surprises, and adventures, and incongruities and incredibilities; but they are all true; they all happened.'