Savage or Civilised? Manners in Colonial Australia

In colonial Australia, manners marked the difference between savagery and civilization, vulgarity and refinement. An intriguing account chronicling behavior, respect, and etiquette, this record answers questions such as When a New South Wales political leader meets a member of the royal family, should they shake hands?and When doctors disagree over the treatment of a patient, should they settle their dispute by appealing to their colleagues or by dueling?Spanning from 1788 through 1914, this book is a delightful and fascinating journey through colonial Australia's social history.

Penny Russell teaches history at the University of Sydney. She is the author of This Errant Lady: Jane Franklin’s Overland Journey to Port Phillip and Sydney, 1839 and A Wish of Distinction: Colonial Gentility and Femininity and the coeditor of Australia’s History: Themes and Debates and Transnational Lives: Biographies of Global Modernity.