Bound for Botany Bay: British Convict Voyages to Australia

click here for more details, find new or used items	Alan Brooke, David Brandon Our price £14.99 (£19.99) New from £7.98 Used from £7.98 Pages: 272 (Hardcover) ISBN: 1903365783 Pub: The National Archives Pub date: 2005-09-30 Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 209173

Reader Reviews:

A fascinating account which challenges preconceptions (4/4 people found this helpful)

This is an excellent read. By concentrating on the physical and emotional consequencies for all affected by the transportation of British convicts (not just on the convicts themselves) the authors provide far greater depths of understanding than is usual in such studies. The records held at the National Archives have been thoroughly researched and we are given a sample of what is to be found there concerning those often missing from histories. The book is very well written and beautifully presented, with wonderful illustrations.

Fascinating historical account that's difficult to put down! (6/6 people found this helpful)

An absolutely riveting and enlightening account that offers a fascinating insight into the plight of those bound for Botany Bay. One of the strengths of this book is the way we’re offered accounts from a variety of perspectives: letters from the families of convicts, official records & court reports, journals of ships’ surgeons, and diaries of the convicts themselves, among others. There are some heart-rending stories (particularly those involving young offenders separated from their families), but also those with a happy ending, as convicts who had served their time but had little hope of returning to a decent life in their own country were able to start afresh in a land of opportunity. As well as being meticulously researched and therefore offering a wealth of intriguing fact, this account offers a narrative that’s as compelling as any historical novel. It’s also lavishly illustrated throughout, making it an ideal gift.

An excellent account of convict transportation (6/6 people found this helpful)

An emotive account of the lives of those convicted and transported to Botany Bay in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Using evidence from previously unused sources, this work utilises first hand accounts of life on board the convict ships and in doing so, portrays a penal system that evokes feelings of compassion and empathy with the unfortunate convicts, evidence that would run counter to the idea of a brutal legal system. A first rate account of an interesting period of history that is bound to raise emotions both here, and in Australia.

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