This is the first detailed examination of land alienation and land use by white settlers in an Australian colony. It treats the first decades of settlement in Van Diemen's Land, encompassing the effects of the European invasion on Aboriginal society, the early history of environmental degradation, the island's society history and the growth of primary industry. The book presents vivid insights into nineteenth-century society, where wool was so useless that it was burnt, and farmers lived in fear of bushrangers and Aborigines. We see how individuals were constrained by the rigid expectations of race, class and gender in a society where no white man ever stood trial for rape or murder of a black. Drawing on contemporary diaries and letters, as well as government statistics, manuals for intending settlers and newspaper reports, Sharon Morgan has built up a comprehensive picture of the significance of landscape and land use in early colonial society.

Includes section "Reviews."

Judith Wright (1915-2000) remains a giant figure within Australian art, culture, and politics. Her 1946 collection of poetry, The Moving Image, revolutionized Australian poetry. She helped to establish the modern Australian environmental movement and was a key player in early campaigns for Aboriginal land rights. A friend and confidante of artists, writers, scholars, activists, and policy makers, she remains an inspiration to many. And yet, as Georgina Arnott is able to show in this major new work, the biographical picture we have had of this renowned poet-activist has been very much a partial one. This book presents a more human figure than we have previously seen, and concentrates on Wright's younger years. New material allows us to hear-directly, thrillingly-the feisty voice of a young Judith Wright, and forces us to reconsider the woman we thought we knew. *** "Thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, 'The Unknown Judith Wright' is unreservedly recommended for community and academic library Literary Studies collections in general, and supplemental studies reading lists in the subject areas of: Australian History, Art, Poetry, Gender Studies, Literary Criticism, and Biographies." --Midwest Book Review, Library Bookwatch: January 2017 Subject: Australian History, Art, Poetry, Gender Studies, Literary Criticism, Biography]

A study which examines the economic rationale for migration and its effect on agricultural development. It features case studies of rural-to-rural migration in 10 countries, making a comparative assessment of forced and spontaneous migration.