A Statistical, Historical And Political Description Of The
Colony Of New South Wales
And Its Dependent Settlements In
Van Diemen's Land
.
With a Particular Enumeration Of The Advantages Which These Colonies Offer For Emigration, And Their Superiority In Many Respects Over Those Possessed By The United States Of America.
By W.C. Wentworth Esq (A Native Of The Colony) -
William Charles Wentworth
Printed For G. And W.B. Whittaker: London 1819 1st Edition
A Rare & Significant Book - This Is The 1st Edition Of The 1st Original Work Published By An Australian Born Author.
"A Statistical, Historical and Political Description of the Colony of New South Wales and Its Dependent Settlements in Van Diemen's Land occupies a position of exceptional importance in Australian history and literature. Published in London in 1819, this landmark work by William Charles Wentworth is widely recognised as the first original book published by an Australian-born author. Written only a generation after the establishment of the colony itself, it represents one of the earliest substantial attempts by a native-born Australian to explain, analyse and advocate for the future of his country. For collectors of Australiana, few works can rival its significance as a foundational text in the development of Australian national identity and political thought.
Wentworth was uniquely placed to write such a work. Born on Norfolk Island in 1790 and celebrated as one of the trio who crossed the Blue Mountains with Blaxland and Lawson in 1813, he combined firsthand colonial experience with a keen political intellect. The volume provides a detailed statistical and historical account of New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land, examining geography, agriculture, trade, labour, population and government at a time when the colonies remained little understood by the wider world. Far more than a descriptive survey, it reveals Wentworth's vision for the future of Australia and his belief that the colonies possessed the resources, opportunities and potential to become prosperous and self-sustaining societies.
A notable feature of the work is its vigorous advocacy of emigration to Australia. Wentworth carefully compares the Australian colonies with the United States of America, arguing that New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land offered superior opportunities for settlers seeking land, employment and advancement. His observations on wages, commerce, agricultural production, transportation, colonial administration and social conditions provide modern readers with an extraordinary contemporary record of life in Australia during the second decade of the nineteenth century. As such, the book remains an indispensable primary source for historians studying the formative years of colonial Australia.
The political significance of the volume is equally profound. Written before Wentworth emerged as one of the leading voices for constitutional reform and representative government, it nevertheless contains some of the clearest early expressions of the principles that would define his public career. His advocacy for colonial development, economic independence and the rights of Australian-born settlers foreshadows the influential role he would later play in shaping the political institutions of New South Wales. The work therefore stands not only as an important historical survey but also as a foundational document in the evolution of Australian political consciousness.
Presented here in its highly desirable 1819 first edition, complete in 466 pages and retaining its original boards, this copy possesses all the character and authenticity expected of a genuine survivor from the earliest decades of Australian settlement. The sympathetic respining, protective case and preservation of the original rough-cut leaves ensure both stability and historical integrity. Rare on the market and of unquestionable importance, this is a cornerstone work of Australian history—an opportunity to acquire the first original book by an Australian-born author and one of the most significant printed monuments of early colonial Australia."
