{"product_id":"2026100008803-secondhand-sir-henry-parkes-his-life-and-work-signed","title":"Sir Henry Parkes: His Life And Work (SIGNED)","description":"\u003cp\u003eEdition: 1st ed.,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition remarks:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBook: Good\u003cbr\u003eJacket: No dust jacket - some marks on spine and corners\u003cbr\u003ePages: Yellowed\u003cbr\u003eMarkings: Signed with inscription\u003cbr\u003eCondition remarks: Boards: faded spine, light bumping on corners. Binding: remains tight. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFew figures loom as large in the shaping of modern Australia as Sir Henry Parkes, the self-made statesman whose relentless vision forged a nation from a collection of rival colonies. This authoritative biography, drawn from the John Murtagh Macrossan Lectures of 1940, chronicles the extraordinary life and political career of the man widely regarded as the Father of Federation, tracing his journey from humble origins in Warwickshire, England, to the highest echelons of New South Wales politics. Written by Justice Sir Thomas Bavin of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, the work presents a rigorous and measured account of Parkes's towering influence on colonial governance, education reform, immigration policy, and, above all, the long campaign for Australian federation.\n\nBavin brings a legal scholar's precision and an insider's understanding of political life to bear on his subject, producing a portrait that is both analytically sharp and deeply humane. The biography illuminates the contradictions of Parkes the man — the soaring oratory set against personal financial ruin, the nationalist idealism tempered by pragmatic political manoeuvring — and argues convincingly for his enduring place at the heart of the Australian democratic tradition. For readers drawn to the grand narratives of nation-building, this study raises a compelling question: how much of a country's soul is shaped by the will of a single, indomitable man?\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Secondhand Stock","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49336811880667,"sku":"2026100008803-SECONDHAND","price":150.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0523\/7646\/9701\/files\/8916d730-f513-4c15-8a13-fcbd8bc9f783.png?v=1789958437","url":"https:\/\/bookgrocer.com\/products\/2026100008803-secondhand-sir-henry-parkes-his-life-and-work-signed","provider":"Book Grocer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}