{"product_id":"2026200004651-secondhand-men-of-yesterday-a-social-history-of-the-western-district-of-victoria-1834-1890","title":"Men Of Yesterday: A Social History Of The Western District Of Victoria 1834-1890","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition remarks:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBook: Good                          \u003cbr\u003eJacket: Chipped and worn with some minor damage\u003cbr\u003ePages: Good                  \u003cbr\u003eMarkings: Previous owner\u003cbr\u003eCondition remarks: Usual wear for book this old. Pages clean and crisp.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA landmark work of Australian social history, Men of Yesterday chronicles the settlement and development of the Western District of Victoria from the arrival of the first squatters in 1834 through to 1890, painting a richly detailed portrait of a pastoral society in the making. Margaret Kiddle meticulously reconstructs the lives of the pioneering squatters and their families, illustrating how they carved vast sheep and cattle runs out of an unfamiliar landscape and established a powerful landed gentry that would shape the region's character for generations. Written with both scholarly rigour and a vivid narrative warmth, the work draws on diaries, letters, and station records to present an intimate and authoritative account of the triumphs, hardships, and social hierarchies that defined colonial life. Kiddle argues that the Western District's squattocracy represented a uniquely Australian aristocracy — one forged not by birthright alone, but by the brutal demands of the land itself. This celebrated classic of Australian historiography remains an indispensable resource for anyone seeking to understand the human forces that shaped colonial Victoria.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Secondhand Stock","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48792199397595,"sku":"2026200004651-SECONDHAND","price":55.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0523\/7646\/9701\/files\/9a352ac9-2c00-4302-bc8c-099257c27879.png?v=1779273354","url":"https:\/\/bookgrocer.com\/products\/2026200004651-secondhand-men-of-yesterday-a-social-history-of-the-western-district-of-victoria-1834-1890","provider":"Book Grocer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}