The Timeless Land (1948 Edition)

The first volume of Eleanor Dark’s trilogy of early colonial Australia, written from both European and Aboriginal points of view, in a late printing and a later jacket.

The Timeless Land (1941) opens with two Aboriginal men watching the First Fleet sail into Sydney Harbour in January 1788, and alternates between European and Aboriginal perspectives as it follows the early years of the colony: Governor Phillip’s dealings with the Aboriginal people, famine, and the devastation of Aboriginal communities by introduced diseases. Dark researched it in the Mitchell Library, and Watkin Tench appears as a character. It is the first of her trilogy, followed by Storm of Time (1948) and No Barrier (1953), and it sold more than 50,000 copies in Australia and was widely taught in Australian secondary schools in the mid-twentieth century. The ABC adapted it as an eight-part television series, written by Peter Yeldham, in 1980.

Seventh Australian edition. First published 1941. Octavo. 447pp. Orange cloth boards in a later-edition dust jacket (1960 issue). Very good in a near fine dust jacket, which is clean and bright, as are the cover boards. The contents are a little toned (paper quality). An excellent copy.

Not currently on display in store. For viewing or more information, please contact: rarebooks@harryhartog.com.au

Catalogue Number: HH000932