Wowsers: Being An Account Of The Prudery Exhibited By Certain Outstanding Men And Women In Such Matters As Drinking, Smoking, Prostitution, Censorship, And Gambling
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:
Condition: Good. Jacket: Worn/faded - no tears. Page Condition: Good - one tear on FEP. Markings: No markings. Binding condition: Firm binding, no loose pages.
Australia has always harboured its fair share of moral crusaders, and Wowsers brings their extraordinary stories to light with wit, precision, and a healthy dose of irreverence. Keith Dunstan chronicles the lives and campaigns of the men and women who dedicated themselves to stamping out drinking, smoking, prostitution, censorship, and gambling — those great social battlegrounds of Australian public life — painting a vivid portrait of a nation perpetually at war with its own appetites. Dunstan, one of Australia's most beloved social historians and journalists, writes with the sharp eye of a seasoned observer and the warmth of someone who genuinely delights in the absurdity of human conviction. Wowsers is not merely a catalogue of prohibitionists and puritans; it is a cultural mirror held up to Australian society, revealing how moral panic and righteous indignation have shaped the nation's laws, habits, and identity. For anyone who has ever wondered why Australia's licensing laws, censorship rules, or gambling regulations seem strangely tortured, this book holds the answer — and it is far more entertaining than you might expect.
Author: Keith Dunstan
Format: Hardback
Genre: Australian history
Condition remarks:
Condition: Good. Jacket: Worn/faded - no tears. Page Condition: Good - one tear on FEP. Markings: No markings. Binding condition: Firm binding, no loose pages.
Australia has always harboured its fair share of moral crusaders, and Wowsers brings their extraordinary stories to light with wit, precision, and a healthy dose of irreverence. Keith Dunstan chronicles the lives and campaigns of the men and women who dedicated themselves to stamping out drinking, smoking, prostitution, censorship, and gambling — those great social battlegrounds of Australian public life — painting a vivid portrait of a nation perpetually at war with its own appetites. Dunstan, one of Australia's most beloved social historians and journalists, writes with the sharp eye of a seasoned observer and the warmth of someone who genuinely delights in the absurdity of human conviction. Wowsers is not merely a catalogue of prohibitionists and puritans; it is a cultural mirror held up to Australian society, revealing how moral panic and righteous indignation have shaped the nation's laws, habits, and identity. For anyone who has ever wondered why Australia's licensing laws, censorship rules, or gambling regulations seem strangely tortured, this book holds the answer — and it is far more entertaining than you might expect.