The Adventures of Ralph Rashleigh by James Tucker
This 'account of a penal exile' covers a great sweep of nineteenth century life - from the busy streets of the London underworld, to the harsh realities of the penal colony of New South Wales.
Here, in horrifying detail, are the English prison hulks; the crowded hell of the transport vessels' the cruelty of the gaolers and the overseers at the agricultural settlement at Emu Plains; the privations of the early settlers; brushes with marauding bushrangers and confrontations with tribes of 'murderous blacks'.
What makes this colourful and dramatic story unique, and gives it its important place among novels of its time, is that 'Ralph Rashleigh' was, in fact, the author of the original manuscript from which this book is taken - a convict, later later identified as James Tucker, transported to Botany Bay in 1827.
The author's own experiences undoubtedly formed the basis for this first-0hand account of convict life: written under the pseudonym 'Giacomo di Rosenberg' in the 1840s and first published in this form almost a century later in 1929.
Format: Hardback | 349 pages
Dimensions (cm): 22 x 14 x 3 | 640g
Publication Date: 01 Jan 1970
Publisher: Lloyd O'Neil
Publication City/Country: Hawthorn, VIC, Australia
Language: English
ISBN10: 0855500131
ISBN13: 9780855500139
Condition: Good
A vintage book that has been read but is in good condition. No obvious damage to the cover. The dust jacket is included and in good condition (very minor scuff marks). The spine is very slightly bent inwards. All pages are undamaged with no creasing or tearing, no pencil underlining of text, no highlighting of text, no writing in margins. No missing pages.