PublishedText Publishing, August 2017 |
ISBN9781925498660 |
FormatHardcover, 512 pages |
Dimensions24.1cm × 16.4cm × 4.8cm |
This insightful and accessible new biography of Alfred Deakin, Australia's second prime minister, shines fresh light on one of the nation's most significant figures. It brings out from behind the image of a worthy, bearded father of federation the gifted, passionate and intriguing man whose contributions continue to shape the contours of Australian politics.
The acclaimed political scientist Judith Brett scrutinises both Deakin's public life and his inner life. Deakin's private papers reveal a solitary, religious character who found distasteful much of the business of politics, with its unabashed self-interest, double-dealing, and mediocre intellectual levels. And yet politics is where Deakin chose to do his life's work.
Destined to become a classic of biography, The Enigmatic Mr Deakin is a masterly portrait of a complex man who was instrumental in creating modern Australia.
Bill is one of the founders of Boffins and has been involved in selecting the books we stock since our beginning in 1989. His favourite reading is history, with psychology, current affairs, and business books coming close behind. His hobbies are reading, food, reading, drinking, reading, and sleeping.
Alfred Deakin, Australia’s second Prime Minister, was a brilliant orator and intellectual, a leading federalist and nation builder, and the orchestrator of much public policy that endured for over three quarters of a century. He also had a fascinating private life. Judith Brett has rounded out the man in this fascinating biography that is a delight to read.
