The Letters of Rachel Henning

Rachel Henning's letters were written between 1853 and 1882. They give a vivid and fascinating account of life in colonial Australia as seen through the eyes of a previously sheltered young Englishwoman. At first repelled by the rough texture of life in Australia she eventually resolves to "make a do of it" and, as Norman Lindsay says, "took to pioneering with amazing gusto. The long journeys on horseback, the camfires at night with damper and quart-pot tea, the sleeping under the stars with a saddle for a pillow, enchanted her." The letters have been brilliantly edited by David Adams to make a story that reads like a novel. Not least of this book's attractions are Norman Lindsay's superb pen drawings.