King O'Malley: 'The American Bounder'
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Worn/faded, no tears
Pages: Good
Markings: Previous owner
Condition remarks: minor stain on book block.
Few figures in Australian political history are as colourful, contradictory, and captivating as King O'Malley — the self-styled American Bounder who charmed, blustered, and bulldozed his way to the very heart of the Australian Federation. A.R. Hoyle's biography chronicles the extraordinary life of this larger-than-life American-born politician, tracing his journey from the frontier towns of North America to the corridors of power in Canberra, where he became one of the most influential and eccentric figures of the early Commonwealth Parliament. At once a showman, a visionary, and a relentless self-promoter, O'Malley championed the establishment of the Commonwealth Bank and played a pivotal role in selecting the site of Australia's capital city, leaving an indelible mark on the nation's institutions. Hoyle presents a meticulous and richly detailed portrait of a man who defied easy categorisation — part populist demagogue, part genuine reformer — illuminating the tensions between ambition and ideology that defined his long public career. Written with authority and a keen eye for the theatrical, this biography situates O'Malley within the turbulent currents of early twentieth-century Australian politics, illustrating how one foreign-born maverick helped shape a young nation's identity. Readers left wondering just where the showmanship ended and the statesman began will find themselves unable to put it down.
Author: A.R. Hoyle
Format: Hardback
Published: 1981, Macmillan
Genre: Australian history
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Worn/faded, no tears
Pages: Good
Markings: Previous owner
Condition remarks: minor stain on book block.
Few figures in Australian political history are as colourful, contradictory, and captivating as King O'Malley — the self-styled American Bounder who charmed, blustered, and bulldozed his way to the very heart of the Australian Federation. A.R. Hoyle's biography chronicles the extraordinary life of this larger-than-life American-born politician, tracing his journey from the frontier towns of North America to the corridors of power in Canberra, where he became one of the most influential and eccentric figures of the early Commonwealth Parliament. At once a showman, a visionary, and a relentless self-promoter, O'Malley championed the establishment of the Commonwealth Bank and played a pivotal role in selecting the site of Australia's capital city, leaving an indelible mark on the nation's institutions. Hoyle presents a meticulous and richly detailed portrait of a man who defied easy categorisation — part populist demagogue, part genuine reformer — illuminating the tensions between ambition and ideology that defined his long public career. Written with authority and a keen eye for the theatrical, this biography situates O'Malley within the turbulent currents of early twentieth-century Australian politics, illustrating how one foreign-born maverick helped shape a young nation's identity. Readers left wondering just where the showmanship ended and the statesman began will find themselves unable to put it down.