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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'From the editors of The Anthology of Colonial Australian Gothic Fiction comes this fascinating collection of disturbing mysteries and gruesome tales by authors such as Mary Fortune, James Skipp Borlase, Guy Boothby, Francis Adams, Ernest Favenc, 'Rolf Boldrewood' and Norman Lindsay, among many others.
In the bush and the tropics, the goldfields and the city streets, colonial Australia is a troubling, bewildering place and almost impossible to regulate—even for the most vigilant detective.
'Ex-convicts, bushrangers, ruthless gold prospectors, impostors, thieves and murderers flow through the stories that make up this collection, challenging the nascent forces of colonial law and order. The landscape itself seems to stimulate criminal activity, where identities change at will and people suddenly disappear without a trace.
'The Anthology of Colonial Australian Crime Fiction is a remarkable anthology that taps into the fears and anxieties of colonial Australian life.' (Publication summary)
Contents
* Contents derived from the
Carlton,
Parkville - Carlton area,
Melbourne - North,
Melbourne,
Victoria,:Melbourne University Publishing
, 2008 version. Please note that other versions/publications may contain different contents. See the Publication Details.
-
Barrington,
single work
short story
(p. 13-19)Famous pickpocket while on ticket of leave in Sydney tries out his skills on wife of an officer and charms both her and husband after confessing.
- Tales of Adventure by a Log Fire, extract autobiography (p. 20-26)
- The Dead Witness; or, The Bush Waterhole, single work short story crime (p. 27-39)
-
The Major's Case,
single work
short story
detective
(p. 40-66)Detective Barnett, a friend of Sinclair's - tells the story of a case which he worked on through the Melbourne private detective agency he ran with a friend. A major calls him in on a case of suspected poisoning by his elder sister who, he claimed, was dependent on him. Barnett was taken in but his sister, Eliza, and the man-servant Crump, between them reveal the major's guilt. He finally murders his sister to prevent her leaving her money to a calculating thief disguised as a Christian woman, who had fooled her - and who robbed her the night of the murder. Eliza is shown to be more perceptive and more humanly motivated than her brother - she breaks detective rules and solves the case but is unable to prevent the murder. Written in the voices of detective Barnett and Eliza. (PB)
- Tale of a Skull, single work short story crime (p. 67-83)
- In Australian Wilds, single work short story crime (p. 84-103)
- The Trooper's Story of the Bank Robbery, single work short story (p. 104-113)
- The Premier's Secret, single work short story crime (p. 114-128)
- Dr Fletcher's Love Story, single work short story (p. 129-151)
- The Sea Gave up its Dead, single work short story (p. 152-156)
- Mein Einziger Mord My Only Murder, single work short story (p. 157-161)
-
One of the Cloth,
single work
short story
crime
(p. 162-166)A police inspector, pursuing a bushranger, believes he has cornered him and is all set to make an arrest him when a reverend rides up to say he was robbed by the bushranger. However, all is not as it appears.
-
Un galon pour le soldat Casey
A Stripe for Trooper Casey,
Maurice Remon
(translator)
single work
short story
(p. 167-179)Bush girl left alone while the district is at a dance is threatened by two murderous sailors, rescued by a bushranger, and manages to help him leave the sailors for the law without being captured himself.
-
'Midnight',
single work
short story
(p. 180-187)A police inspector tells how he tricked the bushranger 'Midnight' and revealed his surprise identity.
- Le Premier Pas, single work short story crime (p. 188-201)
- The Mailman's Yarn : An Ower True Tale, single work short story (p. 202-208)
- The Bardoc Finn, single work short story (p. 209-221)
- The Strip of Lining, single work short story crime (p. 222-241)
- The Gangster, single work short story crime (p. 242-263)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
-
[Review] The Anthology Of Colonial Australian Crime Fiction
2008
single work
review
— Appears in: Reviews in Australian Studies , vol. 3 no. 8 2008;
— Review of The Anthology of Colonial Australian Crime Fiction 2008 anthology short story -
[Review] The Anthology Of Colonial Australian Crime Fiction
2008
single work
review
— Appears in: Margin , July/August no. 75 2008; (p. 9)
— Review of The Anthology of Colonial Australian Crime Fiction 2008 anthology short story -
Birthstain Has Become a Badge of Honour
2008
single work
review
— Appears in: The Australian Literary Review , October vol. 3 no. 9 2008; (p. 6-7)
— Review of Bloodlust : The Unsavoury Tale of Alexander Pearce, the Convict Cannibal 2008 single work novel ; The Anthology of Colonial Australian Crime Fiction 2008 anthology short story -
Off the Shelf : Crime
2008
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 6 September 2008; (p. 28)
— Review of The Anthology of Colonial Australian Crime Fiction 2008 anthology short story -
Distinctive, Disturbing Colonial Stories
2008
single work
review
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 2 August 2008; (p. 16)
— Review of The Anthology of Colonial Australian Crime Fiction 2008 anthology short story
-
Distinctive, Disturbing Colonial Stories
2008
single work
review
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 2 August 2008; (p. 16)
— Review of The Anthology of Colonial Australian Crime Fiction 2008 anthology short story -
Off the Shelf : Crime
2008
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 6 September 2008; (p. 28)
— Review of The Anthology of Colonial Australian Crime Fiction 2008 anthology short story -
Birthstain Has Become a Badge of Honour
2008
single work
review
— Appears in: The Australian Literary Review , October vol. 3 no. 9 2008; (p. 6-7)
— Review of Bloodlust : The Unsavoury Tale of Alexander Pearce, the Convict Cannibal 2008 single work novel ; The Anthology of Colonial Australian Crime Fiction 2008 anthology short story -
[Review] The Anthology Of Colonial Australian Crime Fiction
2008
single work
review
— Appears in: Margin , July/August no. 75 2008; (p. 9)
— Review of The Anthology of Colonial Australian Crime Fiction 2008 anthology short story -
[Review] The Anthology Of Colonial Australian Crime Fiction
2008
single work
review
— Appears in: Reviews in Australian Studies , vol. 3 no. 8 2008;
— Review of The Anthology of Colonial Australian Crime Fiction 2008 anthology short story
Last amended 5 Jun 2020 13:02:27
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