Winner of the 2012 Age Book of the Year Award

In 1835 an illegal squatter camp was established on the banks of the Yarra River. In defiance of authorities in London and Sydney, Tasmanian speculators began sending men and sheep across Bass Strait – and so changed the shape of Australian history. Before the founding of Melbourne, British settlement on the mainland amounted to a few pinpoints on a map. Ten years later, it had become a sea of red.

In 1835 James Boyce brings this pivotal moment to life. He traces the power plays in Hobart, Sydney and London, the key personalities of Melbourne’s early days, and the haunting questions raised by what happened when the land was opened up. He conjures up the Australian frontier – its complexity, its rawness and the way its legacy is still with us today.

Praise

“Anyone who calls Melbourne home – in fact anyone who calls Australia home – should read this book.” – Peter Mares

“A first-class piece of historical writing. Boyce is a graceful and robust stylist and a fine storyteller.” – The Sunday Age

“Boyce continually reminds us of the tragic social and humanitarian consequences of expanding white settlement for the continent’s original inhabitants.” – The Sun Herald

“An eloquent and thought-provoking book.” – Australian Book Review

“1835 is the best book on Australian history I have read since Van Diemen’s Land. James Boyce is on a roll.” – Good Reading

Awards

Winner, 2012 Age Book of the Year Award (Overall)

Winner, 2012 Age Non-Fiction Book of the Year Award

Shortlisted for the History Prize in the 2012 Prime Minister’s Literary Award

Shortlisted for the Non Fiction Prize in the 2011 WA Premier’s Book Awards

Shortlisted for the Non Fiction Prize in the 2012 Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature

Shortlisted for the Non Fiction Prize in the 2012 Victorian Premier's Literary Awards

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