{"product_id":"2026200017138-secondhand-thomas-peel-of-swan-river","title":"Thomas Peel Of Swan River","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition remarks:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBook: Good\u003cbr\u003eJacket: Worn\/faded, no tears\u003cbr\u003ePages: Good\u003cbr\u003eMarkings: Ex-library with usual markings\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the annals of Australia's colonial past, few stories are as dramatic and ultimately tragic as that of Thomas Peel, the ambitious English entrepreneur who staked his fortune — and his future — on a grand vision for the Swan River Colony in Western Australia. Thomas Peel of Swan River chronicles the remarkable and turbulent life of this 19th-century colonist, who arrived on the shores of a vast, unforgiving land with grandiose plans for settlement, only to watch them unravel in the face of bureaucratic obstruction, logistical chaos, and his own stubborn temperament. Drawing on meticulous archival research, Alexandra Hasluck reconstructs the man behind the legend, presenting a portrait of visionary ambition colliding headlong with the harsh realities of early colonial life.\n\nHasluck writes with the precision of a historian and the narrative grace of a storyteller, illuminating the broader tensions between imperial ambition and colonial hardship that defined the founding of Western Australia. The book stands as a significant contribution to Australian historical biography, situating Peel's personal failures within the larger story of British expansion and the painful, often brutal, process of nation-building. Rich in period detail and psychological insight, it leaves the reader wondering whether Thomas Peel was a man born too bold for his era — or simply a man betrayed by his own dreams.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Secondhand Stock","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49269352235227,"sku":"2026200017138-SECONDHAND","price":20.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0523\/7646\/9701\/files\/2ae2b4c2-57a1-47b5-b091-d12ac4f3548f.png?v=1788999170","url":"https:\/\/bookgrocer.com\/products\/2026200017138-secondhand-thomas-peel-of-swan-river","provider":"Book Grocer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}