Cirrus@Austlit

'In 1838, Dr Alexander Skinner leaves Scotland for Australia to make his fortune. He had met Scots whose families owned sugar plantations in the West Indies and been told that Australia's climate might be equally suitable for growing sugar. Dr Skinner is intrigued by the prospect of sugar production and the potential growth of a global industry. A restless, tenacious, often relentless character, Dr Skinner pushes himself and his family towards his single-minded goal of success in an untamed country.In 1838, Dr Alexander Skinner leaves Scotland for Australia to make his fortune. He had met Scots whose families owned sugar plantations in the West Indies and been told that Australia's climate might be equally suitable for growing sugar. Dr Skinner is intrigued by the prospect of sugar production and the potential growth of a global industry. A restless, tenacious, often relentless character, Dr Skinner pushes himself and his family towards his single-minded goal of success in an untamed country.

'Author Lois Shepheard's investigation retraces this man's life alongside the history of an Australian industry and its communities, through New South Wales state records, 19th century newspapers, ships' passenger lists and a treasure trove of personal letters. The Sugar Doctor examines Dr Skinner's successes and losses as he traverses urban and rural Australia, with a few years in the Philippines to learn the sugarcane trade. Shepheard skilfully weaves this tapestry of settlement in Australia, stitched with the threads of Dr Skinner, his family life and the deeds of his friends, relatives and associates. The Sugar Doctor is an evocative portrayal of 19th century Australian society and of the brave souls who helped lay the foundations of a nation.' (Publication summary)

'An exquisitely detailed portrayal of settlement Australia in the 1800s, Black McIntosh to Gold spans a century as it traces a family’s migration from a fishing village in the far north of Scotland to the goldfields of New South Wales. One after another, members of the McIntosh clan are called to make the journey into unknown territory where dreams of happy families, workable land and perhaps even gold await.

'Steeped in research and laced with the magic of folklore and the mystery of The Sight, a gift – or perhaps, curse – of visions passed along the generations, Black McIntosh to Gold is a fully ripened cultural experience of the ancestors.

'This elegant and dramatic history offers a clear window into the birth of Australia. It gives voice to the country’s founders, to determined men, women and children who came to Australia hoping for opportunity and a better life.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'A sweeping account of Irish and Scottish families, The Rag Boiler's Daughter portrays one woman's resolve to provide her children with a brighter future.

This story follows Maggie Gilliland from her birth in Denny, Scotland in 1865 and spans the factories of 19th Century Scotland, the Irish War of Independence, two world wars and a family's migration to Australia.' (Publisher's blurb)