19th-Century Australian Travel Writing
William Henry Giles Kingston, Esquire, (1814-1880) was a prolific writer of emigrant and boys adventure novels. Kingston first published How to Emigrate, or The British Colonists in 1850. It was an emigrant guide specifically designed to provide all classes with information on emigration, in particular how to assist the poor with their preparations for emigration and the advantages held forth by colonial life. Reprinted with revisions in 1852 and 1855, the third edition (1855) was prefaced with the note that the first edition was written when emigration required stimulation and the poor were ignorant to the advantages of the colonies. This later edition was to demonstrate to all classes how emigration should be carried out, especially with the gold fields placing Australia prominently before the eyes of the world. The work detailed the voyage, preparations, and the arrival, through the case study of The Collins Family. Kingston later published The Emigrant's Home, or How to Settle: A Story of Australian Life for all Classes at Home and in the Colonies (1856).
