Australia: A New History of the Great Southern Land is a major new account that places Australia s history fully in a global context, drawing on sources from the United States, Britain, South Africa, and Canada, as well as within Australia itself.

In a compelling narrative, acclaimed historian Frank Welsh traces the history of the land from scattered convict settlements to the formation of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901 and on to today s thriving independent nation, exposing many national myths in the process. This book also explores the dark side of Australia s history: the long-continued White Australia policy, which bedeviled foreign policy for more than a century; the still-tortured official relationship with the Aboriginal peoples; the subordination of women; the flaws in the constitution. Also examined is Australia s uneasy relationship with its Asian neighbors and isolation from Britain and the United States, its traditional allies.

Original, provocative, and witty, Australia is the most comprehensive single-volume history of Australia yet published. It makes a strong claim to becoming the standard work on this fascinating and often misunderstood country.