The Fifth Sparrow: An Autobiography
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: Fair - Bumping on spine and corners. Rubbed edges.
A deeply moving and resilient life story, The Fifth Sparrow chronicles the brave and unconventional journey of Mollie Skinner, a nurse and writer who navigated a life defined by both profound personal challenges and significant literary associations. Written while Skinner was in failing health and published posthumously, this autobiography offers an honest, impressionistic account of her experiences—from her childhood spent in a darkened room due to eye issues, which she likened to the "fifth sparrow" of biblical resonance, to her career as a nurse and her eventual venture into the world of letters. The memoir is particularly celebrated for its vivid recollections of the Australian landscape and her famous 1922 collaboration with D. H. Lawrence on the novel The Boy in the Bush. Skinner provides a unique, firsthand perspective on the creative process and the cultural atmosphere of Western Australia in the early 20th century. For historians, biographers, and enthusiasts of Australian literary history, this 1972 first edition from Sydney University Press remains an essential document, preserving the fortitude, integrity, and perceptive wit of a woman who steadfastly charted her own path through life.
Author: M. L. Skinner (with a Foreword by Mary Durack)
Format: Hardback
Genre: Australian history
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Worn/faded, no tears
Pages: Good
Markings: Fair - Bumping on spine and corners. Rubbed edges.
A deeply moving and resilient life story, The Fifth Sparrow chronicles the brave and unconventional journey of Mollie Skinner, a nurse and writer who navigated a life defined by both profound personal challenges and significant literary associations. Written while Skinner was in failing health and published posthumously, this autobiography offers an honest, impressionistic account of her experiences—from her childhood spent in a darkened room due to eye issues, which she likened to the "fifth sparrow" of biblical resonance, to her career as a nurse and her eventual venture into the world of letters. The memoir is particularly celebrated for its vivid recollections of the Australian landscape and her famous 1922 collaboration with D. H. Lawrence on the novel The Boy in the Bush. Skinner provides a unique, firsthand perspective on the creative process and the cultural atmosphere of Western Australia in the early 20th century. For historians, biographers, and enthusiasts of Australian literary history, this 1972 first edition from Sydney University Press remains an essential document, preserving the fortitude, integrity, and perceptive wit of a woman who steadfastly charted her own path through life.