John Hirst

John Hirst

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A historian like no other, John Hirst captured what is distinctive about Australia

John Hirst was one of Australia's most original and substantial historians. He changed views of many aspects of the nation's history, including the early days of the British colony, the advent of democracy and the forging of Federation. He had a sociological imagination of great power, and the historian's gift of synthesising vast amounts of material and seeing new patterns and meanings.

This volume selects the cream of Hirst's historical essays, as well as key excerpts from his books. It contains three overviews of his work, by Frank Bongiorno, Robert Manne and Alex McDermott. It shows how his writing allows us to understand Australia's past, present and future in fresh ways. John Hirst (1942-2016) wrote many books on Australian history, including Convict Society and Its Enemies, The Strange Birth of Colonial Democracy, The Sentimental Nation, Sense & Nonsense in Australian History and The Shortest History of Europe. He was a member of the history department at La Trobe University from 1968 to 2007.