Scandals of Australia's Strange Past

by George Blaikie

Rigby, 1963 [First Edition], black and white illustrations, hardcover, dust-jacket

Very Good Condition, minor edge and shelf wear, a little rubbing to edges and corners, pages age-toned, no inscriptions; dust-jacket shows a little edge and shelf war with a little rubbing, creasing, small chips and tears to edges and corners (see photographs)

"As a schoolboy, George Blaikie "had a suspicion that if you got behind the dust and dates and found human beings in history, the subject could be fun."  In 1950 he began to put his theory into practice in a series of articles, Our Strange Past, which have since been appearing weekly in newspapers throughout Australia.  Not only has this seemingly unending series proved enormously popular, it has been praised by historians and has been the subject of a review in the literary journal, Australian Letters.  A. J. Daniels, secretary of the Beaudesert Branch of the Royal Historical Society of Queensland, has said that "The Strange Past Series deserves pride of place in the archives of any Historical Society,: and a writer in Australian letters has described him as "the outstanding contemporary feature journalist, as Australian as they come..." Above all, Scandals of Australia's Strange Past proves Blaikie's contention that history can be great fun."