3 Review(s)

One of the most celebrated and prolific authors of the Victorian era, Anthony Trollope (1815-82) was also an enthusiastic traveller. This two-volume work recounts his two-year journey across Britain's colonies in the Antipodes. First published in 1873, it celebrates the success of British colonisation, but also considers with pragmatic foresight the inevitable unification of the Australian territories and their desire for greater independence. Volume 1 covers Trollope's travels through Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Each section addresses the history and governance of the relevant state, assessing also the current condition of the region's institutions, people and resources. In the process, Trollope informs his reader about everything from the temperament of Aboriginal Australians to the troubles of travelling by steamboat. North America (1862), his account of the continent during the American Civil War, and his An Autobiography (1883) are also reissued in this series.