IT’S RARE that you come across a history book as accessible and engaging as The Story of Australia, written by Robert Lewis in association with the National Museum of Australia.
As museum director Mathew Trinca writes in the foreword, the book is written with a keen eye on the school curriculum.
But, as he notes, it is an “excellent resource for helping all of us – young or old, children, parents or grandparents – to understand more fully the big themes in Australia’s past, while also providing fascinating insights into important, defining moments”.
From the enduring cultures of Indigenous Australians to European exploration and colonisation, and the tragic impacts of two world wars, the book runs the gamut of our history, ending with the fast-paced development of the last decades of the 20th century.
But it is by no means a dry argument. Great moments in popular culture and sport are also detailed with a light touch. Technology, commerce and social change are covered, too.
The book is also a delight to the eye, filled with fascinating images drawn from the museum’s rich collection.
- The Story of Australia (Random House Australia), RRP $34.99.