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Title: The Birth of Sydney by Tim F. Flannery ISBN: 0-8021-3699-0 Publisher: Grove Press Pub. Date: July, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.00

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Average Customer Rating: 4.5 (2 reviews)

Rating: 4
Summary: Sydney through its own eyes
Comment: This is a collection of contemporary accounts of the settlement and development of Sydney, covering 1770 to 1896. The emphasis is on the early years, following the arrival of the First Fleet. Contributions range from the famous, for example James Cook and Mark Twain, to newspaper articles, locals' accounts and the impressions of foreign visitors (Spanish, French, Russians, Austrians and Americans).

I thought that the editor had done a good job in choosing an interesting mix of pieces - some are funny, others macabre, but all are worthy of attention. I particularly enjoyed William Dawes's attempts to learn Aboriginal vocabulary. Tim Flannery's introductory essay is itself worthy of note - a fascinating short natural history of the Sydney area.

All the articles have a short introductory note by the editor, which helps the reader put the article, and its author, in context.

Enjoyable stuff.

Rating: 5
Summary: Stories of a city
Comment: This is a terrific book. Read in conjunction with John Birmingham's 'Leviathan: an unauthorised biography of Sydney', you will get more than a working knowledge of how and why Sydney is like it is.

Flannery has written an introductory essay 'The andstone City', which gives a good overview. The bulk of the book is an anthology of voices from the earliest days to late 19th century -from Captain James Cook to Mark Twain, Aboriginal women, and British governors.

2000 saw a plethora of books on Sydney, as it hosted the Olympic Games. This is one of the best.