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On a Barbarous Coast
What if there was an alternative ending to Captain Cook's story?
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Check link for latest rating. ( 130 ratings, 33 reviews)
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Ideal for readers of historical fiction interested in Indigenous Australian perspectives and stories of early contact and survival.
On a Barbarous Coast is an alternative retelling of Captain James Cook's story co-written by Craig Cormick and Harold Ludwick in the tradition of imagined histories.
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Description
WINNER, Special Book Award, ACT Notable Awards
We were becoming the wild things we most feared, but could not see it at the time.
On a night of raging winds and rain, Captain Cook's Endeavour lies splintered on a coral reef off the coast of far north Australia. A small disparate band of survivors, fracturing already, huddle on the shore of this strange land - their pitiful salvage scant protection from the dangers of the unknown creatures and natives that live here.
Watching these mysterious white beings, the Guugu Yimidhirr people cannot decide if they are ancestor spirits to be welcomed - or hostile spirits to be speared. One headstrong young boy, Garrgiil, determines to do more than watch and to be the one to find out what exactly they are.
Fierce, intriguing and thoughtful, On a Barbarous Coast is the story of a past and future that might have been.
Australia's "origin" story brilliantly re-imagined, in which Indigenous Australians rightfully assume their central place. Susan Johnson, author of The Broken Book
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
"A saga that impresses upon you the lasting impact of the brutal colonisation of this land's First Peoples." - Sydney Morning Herald
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781760877347
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 02 June 2020
Country: Australia
Imprint: Allen & Unwin
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Width: 153.0mm
Height: 234.0mm
Weight: 423g
Pages: 320
About the Author
HAROLD LUDWICK comes from the Cooktown/Guugu Yimidhirr area and works as a guide and cultural historian, and is the recipient of a prestigious Encounters Fellowship with the National Museum of Australia.
CRAIG CORMICK is an award-winning author and science communicator. Cormick was a former Chair of the ACT Writers Centre and has taught creative writing at both university and community level.
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The What If Histories of Australia
An amusing look at the alternative paths that Australian history might have taken in Australia's Gold Rush.The What If histories of Australia imagines a very different history of Australia, where the unexpected happens in unexpected ways. Starting by defining the real histories, the book then looks at possible paths of different settlements that history could have taken. Gold Fever is what...Paperback$1799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
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An amusing look at the alternative paths that Australian history might have taken. The What If histories of Australia imagines a very different history of Australia, where the unexpected happens in unexpected ways. Starting by defining the real histories, the book then looks at possible paths of different settlements that history could have taken. What if Captain Cook’s ship had...Paperback$1799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
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