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Great Australian Rascals, Rogues and Ratbags

Australia's most colourful criminal characters
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( 70 ratings, 13 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Great Australian Rascals, Rogues and Ratbags by Jim Haynes takes you on an intriguing journey through Australia's past, highlighting the country's most colourful and audacious characters. The book delves into the lives of notorious criminals and charming scoundrels, unearthing fascinating tales that blend true crime with historical narrative. Its engaging stories reveal the complexity and audacity of these individuals who have left their mark on Australian history.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$3999
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're fascinated by true crime stories with a twist of humour and are intrigued by the colourful characters who have shaped Australia's history. It delves into the antics and escapades of notorious figures, blending historical insights with lively storytelling. Perfect for readers who appreciate a mix of history, crime, and a bit of mischievous charm.

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An incredible collection of true crime characters from Australia's master storyteller.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The bold, the bad, and the slightly mad...

Criminality, some say, is part of Australia's national identity, and in Great Australian Rascals, Rogues and Ratbags, Jim Haynes profiles fifteen larger-than-life Aussie rogues - some of our greatest ne'er-do-wells from colonial times to the modern era. These stories uncover the truth and expose the myths about characters ranging from the most despicable examples of humanity, to those whose courage has to be admired and whose so-called 'crimes' were unjustly punished.

This fascinating collection features felons who have sprung from Australia's underbelly since 1788, such as the infamous Kate Leigh of the razor gangs; the convict Mary Bryant, who in 1791 escaped from the Sydney penal settlement and somehow made it back to England; James Hardy Vaux, who was sent to Australia no less than three times; Henry James O'Farrell, the madman who attempted to murder Prince Alfred in Sydney in 1868; and John Leak, who was repeatedly charged with insolence, disobedience, and being absent without leave in World War I - and awarded the Victoria Cross.

Told with Jim's inimitable combination of history and humour, Great Australian Rascals, Rogues and Ratbags is packed with murders, mystery, and miscreants: true stories of true criminals from Australia's past.

'a terrific book' - Canberra Weekly

'entertaining . . . highly readable . . . you will find some genuinely amazing new facts and insights.' - ArtsHub

'[Haynes'] research was extensive which adds to making this book extremely interesting . . . There's no doubt this book will delight fans of true crime. True stories of true criminals from Australia's past have definitely resulted in a book that's one heck of a darn good read.' - Australian Rural & Regional News

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781761067907

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 01 November 2022

Country: Australia

Imprint: Allen & Unwin

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 153.0mm

Height: 234.0mm

Weight: 364g

Pages: 304

About the Author

Jim Haynes is one of Australia's most prolific and successful authors. Jim wrote his first book in 1995 and this is his thirtieth book. Before becoming a professional entertainer, song writer and verse writer in 1988, Jim taught writing, literature, history and drama in schools and universities from outback New South Wales to Britain and back again. In 2016, he was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for 'services to the performing arts as an entertainer, author, broadcaster and historian'.

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