A Gentle Shipwreck - A Nostalgic Memoir Of Growing Up In Sydney 1907-1916
By L.C. Rodd
Drawings by Cedric Emanuel
Published by Thomas Nelson Australia Limited: West Melbourne 1975 1st Edition
In Original Dustjacket
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A Gentle Shipwreck: A Nostalgic Memoir of Growing Up in Sydney 1907-1916 is the autobiographical reminiscence of Australian writer and educator L. C. (Lewis Charles) Rodd, best remembered as the husband of novelist Kylie Tennant and an important figure in Australian literary and educational circles. First published in 1975, the book recreates with warmth and extraordinary detail Rodd's childhood in the working-class districts of inner Sydney, particularly Surry Hills, during the years immediately preceding the First World War. Through the eyes of a perceptive child, he evokes a vanished world of crowded terraces, poverty, street characters and the daily struggles of ordinary families.
Yet this is far more than a simple memoir of hardship. Rodd interweaves family stories and maritime adventures inherited from his seafaring parents, whose experiences aboard sailing ships and around the world filled his imagination with romance and wonder. Treasured household relics - sea chests, navigational instruments, diaries and exotic souvenirs - opened gateways to distant places and adventures far removed from the narrow streets of Sydney. These recollections give the memoir its distinctive charm, blending social history with family legend and creating an intimate portrait of childhood in early twentieth-century Australia.
Beautifully illustrated with evocative drawings by renowned Australian artist Cedric Emanuel, this first edition published by Thomas Nelson (Australia) Limited in 1975 remains a highly regarded memoir of old Sydney and a valuable record of urban life during the Edwardian era. Rich in atmosphere, humour and human observation, A Gentle Shipwreck stands as both a personal remembrance and an important contribution to Australian social history, preserving a way of life that had largely disappeared by the time of its publication."
Light wear to dust jacket protected with a clear plastic sleeve. Pages clean and well presented. Small prior owner name present. Book is in very good condition overall. Please study photos to further understand condition.
