‘The frontier settlers have traditionally been seen as explorers, overlanders, pioneers. But they were also revolutionaries.’ Three themes run through this book: widespread violence on the frontier, the pervasive impact of racism on colonial society, and the absolute importance of land ownership. Considered together, they provide a picture of the Australian frontier experience as it was revealed in the relations between a new white society and the Aboriginal people. The forces present at the birth of a new society leave a legacy: the past is still alive. This book is about the present as well as about our colonial heritage. ‘.a remarkable book, not just because it is bulging with new factual material but because Reynolds brings all his scholarship to bear on a single focus. This is history with a moral and urgent purpose.’ Peter Read, Aboriginal History
Henry Reynolds is a widely acclaimed historian. Among his other books are Dispossession (1989) and Fate Of A Free People (1995). His most recent book is Aboriginal Sovereignty (1996).