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1788 by DAVID HILL

Published by William Heinemann / November 2008

Subtitled The Brutal Truth of the First Fleet, this staggering new investigation into the story of the world's biggest single overseas migration of all time, is an epicly good read.

In mid 1770's England was living in the age of enlightenment, with major figures like Newton, Locke, Voltaire and Rousseau all changing the way we think, but at the same time and following the American War of Independance, Britain was running out of space to keep its ever growing criminal population locked up (between 1700 and 1800 the British Government added over 100 different crimes to the list for which you could be hung). Australia, which had only recently been claimed for Britain by Cook (despite the fact that the Chinese and Dutch had been visiting and mapping the region for 200 years) was seen as the perfect place to send recalcitrant convicts.

1788, which is paced and plotted like a page turning novel, takes us below decks to tell the story of the 1500 men and women who made the harrowing journey to the very end of the world. The first section of the book deals with the preparations made for the journey, the first arrival in Botany Bay on 18 January before moving on to Sydney Cove once it was realised that Botany was not suitable for settlement and the harshness of then trying to make a home for themselves in a totally unfamiliar and positively scary environment.

Hill really manages to bring the journey to life, the privations, the degradations and the horrible conditions the travellers were forced to endure. In fact I'm sure we can be greateful for the fact that the book isn't in smell-o-vision.

No dry history tome this, the heart of 1788 is the human story, vividly brought to life with ample guests from journals, reports and letters home. Definitely recommended.

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