The true story of the architect Francis Greenway has all the elements of romantic fiction. Convicted in England for forgery and sentenced to death, he was reprieved and transported in 1810 to the penal colony of New South Wales. The wretchedness and degradation of convict life were anathema to the proud-spirited Greenway. and spurred him to succeed in his new life in Australia. However, his arrogance made him many powerful enemies in Sydney Town, and when Governor Macquarie gave him the task of building the important South Head lighthouse he became, willy-nilly, a pawn in one of the most controversial issues of the day: convict emancipation. Andrew Mallon has painted a masterly portrait of the artistic genius who designed some of Sydney's most beautiful buildings, showing how his fortunes were shaped both by circumstance and by his own excitable, unpredictable nature. His extraordinary story is peopled with a crowd of colourful characters: his corrupt but warm-hearted cellmates in Newgate prison; the mysterious Kincaid brothers; and, above all, his lovely dark-haired wife, Mary. Greenway's struggle to prove his ability as an architect, and his persecution by the unscrupulous enemies of Governor Macquarie, make for engrossing reading. No detail is spared in the telling of his story, and the result is a powerful and realistic evocation of an exciting, turbulent era in Australia's history.
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Vendeur : Laura Books, Georgetown, SA, Australie
Hard Cover. Etat : Fine. Etat de la jaquette : Fine. First Edition. book clean and tight Size: 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. N° de réf. du vendeur 011791
Quantité disponible : 1 disponible(s)
Vendeur : Laura Books, Georgetown, SA, Australie
Hard Cover. Etat : Fine. No Jacket. First Edition. book clean and tight Size: 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. N° de réf. du vendeur 035700
Quantité disponible : 1 disponible(s)
Vendeur : killarneybooks, Inagh, CLARE, Irlande
Hardcover. Etat : Good+. Etat de la jaquette : Very Good. 1st Edition. Hardcover, vi + 283 pages, NOT ex-library. Old price in pencil on the front endpaper. Interior is clean and bright with unmarked text, free of inscriptions and stamps, firmly bound. Age-spotted upper outer page edges. A short edge-tear in the dust jacket. -- A biography of Francis Greenway (1777-1837), the most famous architect in early Australian history. It is a factual account of a man whose life was so dramatic it reads like a picaresque novel. From Forger to Architect: Greenway was a talented architect in Bristol who was caught forging a contract. He was sentenced to death, which was later commuted to 14 years' transportation to the penal colony of New South Wales. Macquarie's Vision: Upon arrival in Sydney in 1814, he was "adopted" by Governor Lachlan Macquarie. Mallon details how the two men transformed a ramshackle convict settlement into a sophisticated city. Landmark Works: The book describes the creation of his masterpieces, including St James' Church, the Hyde Park Barracks, and the Macquarie Lighthouse. The Fall: It also covers his volatile temper and his eventual fallout with the authorities, which led to him dying in poverty despite being the man who literally "built the dream" of a new colony. Mallon uses the title Builder of Dreams because Greenway was an idealist who insisted on high-quality, elegant Palladian architecture in a wilderness where most people were just trying to survive. -- Francis Greenway's face appeared on the first Australian ten-dollar note (issued in 1966), cementing his status as a national icon. N° de réf. du vendeur 012793
Quantité disponible : 1 disponible(s)