{"product_id":"the-girl-from-botany-bay-hardcover","title":"The Girl from Botany Bay - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eCarolly Erickson\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn a moonless night in the early 1790s, prisoner Mary Bryant, her husband William, her two small children, and seven other convicts stole a twenty-foot longboat and slipped noiselessly out of Sydney Cove, Australia, eluding their captors.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThey sailed north, all the way to Indonesia, traveling some thirty-six hundred treacherous miles in ten weeks-an incredible feat of seamanship. For a time, Mary and her companions were able to convince the local Dutch colonial authorities that they were survivors of a shipwreck, but eventually the truth emerged and they found themselves back in captivity, in irons, on their way to England for execution.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn time, Mary's fateful journey would win her tremendous admiration. A woman once reviled as a criminal would become a London celebrity, ultimately finding forgiveness and freedom.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eThe Girl from Botany Bay\u003c\/i\u003e, distinguished historian and biographer Carolly Erickson tells Mary Bryant's remarkable story at full length for the first time--the story of a woman whose impoverished Cornwall childhood led to a life of outlaw daring and thievery, then to harsh imprisonment and exile. Erickson recounts Mary's bold ventures from her point of view, beginning with her conviction and death sentence for highway robbery. Reprieved, she was sent to New South Wales to serve out her time, one of dozens of female convicts chosen as sexual companions for the hundreds of male convicts destined for settlement in the remote continent of Australia.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom Mary's perilous sea journey to Botany Bay and Sydney Cove, to the inhuman conditions at the penal colony, to the risky escape to the Indonesian island of Timor and the horrors of the sail back to England--during which Mary's husband and two children died of disease--the story is harrowing yet heroic. With the dramatic narrative skill for which she is acclaimed, Erickson brings Mary and her companions to life in compelling detail. All the dangers of seafaring adventure are here: violent storms, near drownings, severe hunger and thirst, and the perils of relentless exposure to sun, wind, and salt spray that left the convicts with their skin scraped raw and their strength leached away.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen she finally landed in England and testified before the magistrate's court, Mary was magnificent in her own defense. No one had the heart to condemn her; had she not, through her suffering, paid for her crimes? Impressed by Mary's sturdy self-possession and courage, lawyer and author James Boswell came to her rescue, ensuring that \"the Girl from Botany Bay,\" as the newspapers called her, was freed and able to begin a new life.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe epic story of Mary Bryant, the brave and resourceful girl from Botany Bay, is compelling narrative nonfiction at its very best.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eFront Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn a moonless night in the early 1790s, prisoner Mary Bryant, her husband William, her two small children, and seven other convicts stole a twenty-foot longboat and slipped noiselessly out of Sydney Cove, Australia, eluding their captors.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThey sailed north, all the way to Indonesia, traveling some thirty-six hundred treacherous miles in ten weeks-- an incredible feat of seamanship. For a time, Mary and her companions were able to convince the local Dutch colonial authorities that they were survivors of a shipwreck, but eventually the truth emerged and they found themselves back in captivity, in irons, on their way to England for execution.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn time, Mary's fateful journey would win her tremendous admiration. A woman once reviled as a criminal would become a London celebrity, ultimately finding forgiveness and freedom.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn The Girl from Botany Bay, distinguished historian and biographer Carolly Erickson tells Mary Bryant's remarkable story at full length for the first time-- the story of a woman whose impoverished Cornwall childhood led to a life of outlaw daring and thievery, then to harsh imprisonment and exile. Erickson recounts Mary's bold ventures from her point of view, beginning with her conviction and death sentence for highway robbery. Reprieved, she was sent to New South Wales to serve out her time, one of dozens of female convicts chosen as sexual companions for the hundreds of male convicts destined for settlement in the remote continent of Australia.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom Mary's perilous sea journey to Botany Bay and Sydney Cove, to the inhuman conditions at the penal colony, to the risky escape to the Indonesian island of Timor and the horrors of the sail back to England-- during which Mary's husband and two children died of disease-- the story is harrowing yet heroic. With the dramatic narrative skill for which she is acclaimed, Erickson brings Mary and her companions to life in compelling detail. All the dangers of seafaring adventure are here: violent storms, near drownings, severe hunger and thirst, and the perils of relentless exposure to sun, wind, and salt spray that left the convicts with their skin scraped raw and their strength leached away.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen she finally landed in England and testified before the magistrate's court, Mary was magnificent in her own defense. No one had the heart to condemn her; had she not, through her suffering, paid for her crimes? Impressed by Mary's sturdy self-possession and courage, lawyer and author James Boswell came to her rescue, ensuring that \"the Girl from Botany Bay,\" as the newspapers called her, was freed and able to begin a new life.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe epic story of Mary Bryant, the brave and resourceful girl from Botany Bay, is compelling narrative nonfiction at its very best.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eAcclaim for Carolly Erickson \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Carolly Erickson is one of the most accomplished and successful historical biographers writing in English.\"\u003cbr\u003e -The Times Literary Supplement \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe First Elizabeth \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Even more readable and absorbing than the justly praised works of Tuchman and Fraser. A vivid and eminently readable portrait of history's favorite Tudor.\"\u003cbr\u003e -The New York Times Book Review \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A masterpiece of narrative, a story so absorbing it is as hard to put down as a fine novel.\"\u003cbr\u003e -Los Angeles Times Book Review \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlexandra \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Gifted . . . breathless . . . heartbreaking . . . Erickson excels.\"\u003cbr\u003e -Chicago Tribune \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJosephine \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"An intimate, richly detailed, and candid portrait . . . [Erickson's] scholarly insights combine superbly with a mastery of period manners more often found in the best historical fiction.\"\u003cbr\u003e -Kirkus Reviews \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMistress Anne \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Carolly Erickson is a most admirable biographer, and this book is highly enjoyable as well as being reliable and acute; indeed, it is popular historical biography at its best.\"\u003cbr\u003e --The Times (London)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eCAROLLY ERICKSON is a prizewinning historian and biographer, widely acclaimed as a master of historical writing. Her eighteen nonfiction books have won her a large international following. Erickson lives in Hawaii.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 234\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.87 x 9.12 x 6.34 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e October 01, 2004\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51750855475488,"sku":"9780471271406","price":30.22,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/798fb41c0ebf718fed152d0b17768680.webp?v=1779959420","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/the-girl-from-botany-bay-hardcover","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}