{"title":"Ships","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"botany-bay-and-the-first-fleet-the-real-storytrade-paperback","title":"Botany Bay and the First Fleet by Alan Frost","description":"\u003cp\u003eNow in one definitive volume, Botany Bay and the First Fleet is a full, authentic account of the beginnings of modern Australia.\u003c\/p\u003e \n\n\u003cp\u003eIn 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. In deciding on Botany Bay, British authorities hoped not only to rid Britain of its excess criminals, but also to gain a key strategic outpost and take control of valuable natural resources.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAccording to the conventional account, it was a shambolic affair: underprepared, poorly equipped and ill-disciplined. Here, Alan Frost debunks these myths, and shows that the voyage was in fact meticulously planned – reflecting its importance to Britain’s imperial and commercial ambitions. In his examination of the ships, passengers and preparation, Frost reveals the hopes and schemes of those who engineered the voyage, and the experiences of those who made it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe culmination of thirty-five years’ study of previously neglected archives, Botany Bay and the First Fleet offers new and surprising insights into how Australia came to be.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e‘Fascinating and compelling’ — The Weekend Australian\u003c\/p\u003e \n\n\u003cp\u003e‘An exhilarating read. Frost … is a master of the concise overview, leavened with wonderfully chosen, vivid examples … Iconoclastic and refreshing.’ —The Sydney Morning Herald\u003cbr\u003e\n‘Highly readable, Frost’s work will be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in early Australia.’ — The Sunday Herald Sun\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Black Inc.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":39619586621575,"sku":"9781760641603","price":42.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0313\/7211\/6103\/products\/Botany_20Bay_20and_20the_20First_20Fleet_20_28online_29.jpg?v=1636455658"},{"product_id":"the-wreck-of-the-batavia-and-prosperpaperback","title":"The Wreck of the Batavia and Prosper by Simon Leys","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn 1629, the  Batavia  was wrecked on a coral archipelago fifty miles from the Australian continent. Most of the people on board surtvived, only to become victims of a visionary psychopath who, with the help of a dozen followers, organised a methodical massacre of the hapless community.\u003cbr\u003e\n Following the wreak's discovery some forty years ago, Simon Leys travelled to the site. This is his riviting account of the shipwreck and its brutal aftermath. As well as a narrative of the disaster, it is also a subtle consideration of the nature of totalitarianism and our susceptability to its ideologues.\u003cbr\u003e\n This book also includes Leys' elegiac essay,  Prosper , recalling a summer when he joined the crew of a tuna-fishing boat from Brittany, one of the last boats still working under sail. The remarkable piece vividly evokes the traditions, hardships and dangers of the oldest and finest form of seamanship.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Black Inc.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":39619600744583,"sku":"9781863953269-POD","price":32.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0313\/7211\/6103\/products\/cover_74.jpg?v=1636511425"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.schwartzbooks.com.au\/collections\/ships.oembed","provider":"Schwartz Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}