Customer Reviews
Sets The Standard - By: Dave_42, 05 Aug 2008 
"The Fatal Shore" by Robert Hughes is the one book which is always mentioned when it comes to books about the history of Australia, & for good reason. Hughes' brilliant work covers in great detail the transportation of criminals from England to Australia, & the history of those penal colonies. He also deals with the historical figures & events which impacted those colonies.
Prior to this work, Robert Hughes had authored books on art, & is generallly known as an art critic & a documentary maker. This work of history seems to be an unusual diversion from his typical interests, but as he explains in his introduction, it was while doing a series of documentaries on Australian art which took him to Port Arthur that he realized that he knew little of his country's convict past. His documentary work undoubtedly played a key role in his making this one of the more readable histories there is, & led to "The Fatal Shore" becoming an international best-seller.
He starts by discussing the conditions in England which led to the transportation of criminals to the opposite side of the world, the theories about there being a "criminal class", & the loss of the Americas as a dumping ground for British criminals. Another key point is the sentencing which was used at the time which resulted in people with a wide variety of criminal convictions, from petty theft to murder alll being selected, without regard to whether or not they would be able to provide any valuable service to the colonies which were to be created.
Next Hughes discusses the first fleet, from the difficult passage, both for prisoners & free people, to the arrival & the dealings with the Aborigines to the difficult first years of the colony; it is an engaging tale which reads like a novel. The more recent "A Commonwealth of Thieves" by Thomas Keneallly does a more complete job of telling the story of this period for those who are interested in learning more, but Hughes' work covers more time & is far more complete when looking at the entire period of transportation to Australia.
Hughes then looks at the makeup of the convicts, both men & women & the ratio between the sexes. Who they were, what crimes had they committed, & how they behaved once they were there. The vast majority were sent due to crimes against property, & just a smalll percentage for crimes against people. There were a few which appear to have been convicted of political crimes as well. The female prisoners were mostly of a marriageable age, & many were encouraged to marry the non-convict men who were there.
Hughes also covers in detail the more severe areas of punishment which were established in places like Norfolk Island & Macquarie Harbor. Though very few prisoners ever were sent to these secondary facilities, their presence & the stories about them helped to keep the prisoners in line. The treatment of the prisoners at these facilities was horrendous, & many preferred death to staying there. Many committed crimes while in the facilities in order to be sent back to Hobart for trial.
The end of the book covers the decline of the transportation system. Prison reform was coming & there were new ideas about how to deal with crime & criminals. The cost of transportation was high, & once space was no longer an issue in England's prisons it was no longer cost effective to transport. In addition, the non-criminal populations of the colonies grew, & they were not as welcoming of additional convicts as they had been earlier. In addition, once gold had been found, the wealth of the colonies made them even less accepting.
"The Fatal Shore" still sets the standard when it comes to Australian history. Hughes covers not only the major sites of Sydney & Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania), but also the efforts to create penal systems in Queensland & in Western Australia. In addition to the events covered, there are wonderful biographical descriptions of the major officials & notorious convicts. The one piece that the reader is likely to ask for more is with regards to the Aborigines, as so little is known of the individuals who were involved. The discussion of the native Australians is often told in very general terms, as there simply isn't any detailed written record to draw from.
A Humane Account - By: Mark Rowantree, 01 Jul 2008 At first glance, the title of this brief review may appear something of an oxymoron. However, this is exactly what Robert Hughes does by applying his almost tangible decency to a subject which few British authors & until the fairly recent past not many Australian writers saw fit to examine in an extremely academic, but still humane style; namely the transportation of 160,000 men, women & children from Britain to various penal colonies in Australia between 1788 & 1868. Hughes explores this period through the documentary & physical sources examined, over what must have constituted an immense period of research. The fruits of that research are shown in the vivid pictures he presents not only of the many gross violations perpetrated on those unfortunate enough to savour embrace of the System; but, also the society that acted as its progenitor. Hughes' writing is exceptional & efficiently conveys the moral paradox at the heart of transportation. Namely. its undeniably inherent wrong with the fact that equallly undeniably the transported labour quickened the process of colonisation. This book pulls no punches in its exposure of societies often hypocritical stance on the treatment of offenders. Personlly, it reminded us to beware of politicians & others who offer us a simple or one dimensional solution to the problems of crimminality. OveralL, I have no hesitation in commending this excellent & thought provoking book.
Amazing - By: a nice guy who likes reading, 29 Jul 2007 In 'The Fatal Shore' Robert Hughes has weaved together a magnificent web of history & the stories of brave individuals in the newly founded colony of Botany Bay. An eye-opening read, this book surprises, informs & intrigues. It has obviously been extremely well researched & the writing itself is gripping. Although there is a lot of detail I can't think of any part of it that is boring. Excellent.
The Fatal Shore - By: Mr. R. A. Matthews, 25 Feb 2007 A great insight into the "indeliable stain". An insight into the darker side of colonial history which has gone largely unnoticed in academic life today. Hughes pays great attention to detail which can clearly be seen through his extensive research, highlighted by his footnotes. An excellent read, well worth the money.
A History of British Brutality - By: Mr. L. J. Atterbury, 11 Aug 2006 Robert Hughes "The Fatal Shore" is a compelling, readable, & meticuously documented account of the settlement of Australia. More than that, it provides within that harrowing story a picture of 18th & 19th Century penal attitudes the biases & prejudices of which can still,too often, be recognised in contemporary penal practice. In particular, the story of Alexander Moconochie's reforms on Norfolk Island, & their rejection, is a tale of overwhelming tragedy.
This cruel & bitter saga is yet another illustration of a recurring theme in British history, of how the protection of the wealth & property of a few has always had priority over the common good. The multiplication of capital offences under George 111, & his brutal penal regime, did little to deter the poverty stricken agricultural & industrial labourers of that era. The greatest fear of the industrial capitalists & the wealthy landowners was a revolution of the dispossessed, & to transport this threat to the other side of the globe, & so eliminate it, was the safest way to secure the status quo. Although Hughes does not labour this point he does vividly show how the demonisation of a class, & the extreme brutality that accompanied it, led to a penal system that lasted for more than half a century. For convicts to resist the thuggery of the State was futile, but to resist, & so suffer more brutality, was, ironicallly,the only way to retain the last flickering of humanity & personal integrity.
The book is a timely reminder that the core values that have shaped British history have changed little, & demonisation is still used to protect & sustain political & corporate interests.
A stimulating, readable, & masterly account of the British Gulag & of those who suffered in the grip of its iron fist. Highly recommended.
