La Trobe: Traveller, Writer, Governor
By John Barnes
Published by Halstead Press: Braddon 2017 1st Edition
With Dustjacket
"La Trobe: Traveller, Writer, Governor is the first full-scale modern biography of Charles Joseph La Trobe (1801-1875), the inaugural Lieutenant-Governor of Victoria and one of the most influential yet frequently misunderstood figures in Australia's colonial history. Written by distinguished literary scholar and biographer John Barnes, the work traces La Trobe's remarkable life from his Moravian upbringing and extensive travels through Europe, North America and Mexico to his appointment in the Port Phillip District and his pivotal role in guiding Victoria through the tumultuous years of separation and the gold rush. The biography is based upon decades of meticulous research and draws extensively upon La Trobe's journals, correspondence and unpublished papers.
Barnes presents a richly nuanced portrait of a man of many talents - traveller, naturalist, writer, artist and administrator - whose achievements included fostering Melbourne's cultural and educational institutions, reserving land for parks and public buildings, and laying much of the groundwork for modern Victoria. At the same time, the biography examines the immense pressures La Trobe faced during the gold rush era, his struggles with colonial politics, financial crises and frontier conflict, and the personal tragedies that marked his later years, including the death of his first wife and his declining health.
Published by Halstead Press in association with the State Library Victoria and La Trobe University in 2017, this handsome first edition was widely acclaimed upon publication and received the History Publication Award at the 2017 Victorian Community History Awards. Extensively illustrated and supported by a substantial bibliography and index, it stands as the definitive account of one of Victoria's founding figures and is an indispensable work for collectors of Australian history, colonial biography and Victorian studies."
