The First Fleet: The Real StoryIn 1787 a convoy of eleven ships, carrying about 1400 people, set out from England for Botany Bay, on the east coast of New South Wales. According to the conventional account, it was a shambolic affair- underprepared, poorly equipped and ill-disciplined. Robert Hughes condemned the organisers for their 'muddle and lack of foresight', while Manning Clark described scenes of 'indescribable misery and confusion'. In The First Fleet- The Real Story, Alan Frost draws on hundreds of previously neglected records to debunk these persistent myths. He shows that the voyage was in fact meticulously planned - reflecting its importance to Britain's imperial and commercial ambitions. He examines the ships and supplies, passengers and behind-the-scenes discussions. In the process, he reveals the hopes and schemes of those who planned the voyage, and the experiences of those who made it. |
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The First Fleet
User Review - Thorpe-Bowker and Contributors - Books+PublishingThe First Fleet: The Real Story is a companion volume to Alan Frost¿s earlier book, Botany Bay: The Real Story. It deals with the same subject as David Hill¿s 1788, but unlike Hill, Frost is an ... Read full review
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Bibliographic information
| Title | The First Fleet: The Real Story |
| Author | Alan Frost |
| Edition | 2 |
| Publisher | Black Incorporated, 2012 |
| ISBN | 1863955615, 9781863955614 |
| Length | 272 pages |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |