{"product_id":"2026100007563-secondhand-the-webbs-australian-diary-1898","title":"The Webbs' Australian Diary 1898","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition remarks:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBook: Good\u003cbr\u003eJacket: Worn\/faded, no tears\u003cbr\u003ePages: Good\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 1898, Sidney and Beatrice Webb — the towering intellectual architects of British Fabian socialism — embarked on a remarkable journey to the antipodes, and their private observations of colonial Australian society stand as one of the most fascinating documentary records of the era. The Webbs' Australian Diary 1898, edited by A. G. Austin, presents the couple's candid, sharply observed diary entries chronicling their travels through Australia at a pivotal moment in the nation's history, just three years before Federation. The diary captures their encounters with politicians, trade unionists, and ordinary citizens, offering an intimate window into the social, economic, and political landscape of late-colonial Australia through the eyes of two of Britain's most celebrated progressive thinkers.\n\nAustin's editorial work situates the diary within its broader historical and ideological context, illuminating how the Webbs' Australian experience informed their thinking on labour movements, social reform, and democratic governance. The text is a treasure trove for historians of both Australian and British intellectual history, revealing the mutual fascination between the nascent Australian labour movement and the Fabian project. Beatrice's razor-sharp wit and Sidney's systematic analysis permeate every page, making this an indispensable primary source that raises a compelling question: what did two of the architects of the modern welfare state truly make of the world's great social laboratory?\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Secondhand Stock","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49131003805915,"sku":"2026100007563-SECONDHAND","price":20.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0523\/7646\/9701\/files\/ea36c03c-1d6a-4278-b949-c416f88ede8c.png?v=1786594398","url":"https:\/\/bookgrocer.com\/products\/2026100007563-secondhand-the-webbs-australian-diary-1898","provider":"Book Grocer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}