{"product_id":"2026100011235-secondhand-h-b-higgins-the-rebel-as-judge","title":"H. B. Higgins: The Rebel As Judge","description":"\u003cp\u003eEdition: 1st ed.,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition remarks:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBook: Good\u003cbr\u003eJacket: Wear and tear with damage\u003cbr\u003ePages: Good\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt the turbulent crossroads of law, politics, and social reform in early twentieth-century Australia stands Henry Bournes Higgins — a man whose fierce independence and unwavering conviction made him one of the most consequential figures in the nation's history. John Rickard's H. B. Higgins: The Rebel as Judge chronicles the remarkable life of this Irish-born lawyer, politician, and High Court Justice, tracing his journey from passionate parliamentary dissenter — famously one of only two members to vote against Federation's financial terms — to architect of the landmark Harvester Judgement of 1907, which established the concept of a living wage and reshaped Australian industrial relations forever.\n\nRickard presents a nuanced and authoritative portrait of a man perpetually at odds with orthodoxy, illuminating the deep moral and intellectual tensions that drove Higgins to challenge convention at every turn. Written with scholarly rigour yet rendered with compelling narrative clarity, the biography situates its subject within the broader sweep of Australian progressive thought, arguing that Higgins' legacy is inseparable from the foundations of the country's social justice framework. Winner of *The Age* Book of the Year for Non-Fiction in 1984, this is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the radical idealism that shaped a nation — and the singular rebel who dared to enforce it from the bench.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Secondhand Stock","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50573164609755,"sku":"2026100011235-SECONDHAND","price":40.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0523\/7646\/9701\/files\/963a8df1-2ca7-4621-99bd-37395e71fff5.png?v=1791167789","url":"https:\/\/bookgrocer.com\/products\/2026100011235-secondhand-h-b-higgins-the-rebel-as-judge","provider":"Book Grocer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}