Reviews for The California Abalone Industry: A Pictorial History

The average rating for The California Abalone Industry: A Pictorial History based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2015-09-29 00:00:00 Jim Hendricks Really rereading it. So I know John. He was in the La Trobe history Dept. when I was a student. He was considered to be a good guy. Maybe he did not do the most exciting history but he was generally respected and liked. I therefore find it hard to criticize this book. It is good that that someone in the job should have a go at shibboleths of Australian history. Unfortunately he does it in a maddening way. For instance his piece on Multiculturalism seems to imply that sectarianism hardly existed which is simply untrue: it did. Melbourne had football teams based on religion much like Glasgow except with out the knives and riots. The major conservative party was a party of the ascendancy as in Northern Ireland. The first Catholic Liberal minister was Phil Lynch in the mid '70's. The Protestant establishment imposed restrictions on public drinking that were crazy making. In the U.S. they would be called 'Blue Laws'. They lasted until the 70's as well. But John is a 75ish WASP. He has not been referred to as a black ... or a mick.... or a yellow....There was plenty of it around he just never copped it. Australia does have a successful multicutural society.... well at least compared to other societies but I would not like to be an Aboriginal in Australia. John is right there was something essentially decent about Australians that made this a welcoming place for new arrivals and that interesting historical question should receive serious examination. He is right that it has not (received due attention) but on the other hand his own explanations seem a little smug and a little trite. As for the rest of the book its a bit here and a bit there. His essay on Aboriginals and Australian history is quite good although a little conservative for my tastes. This is not an entry into the Australia's history wars because Johns conservative decency precludes him from being a hitman. John is his own man. He even takes aim at Blainey's 'Tyranny of Distance'. If you do want to understand some of the controversies of Australian history without the polemics this is as good a place to start as any.

Review # 2 was written on 2012-09-10 00:00:00 Lauren Cemial For AUS11 Have already read this wonderful gem for an earlier university unit, and was over the moon that it pops up again as certain chapters being required reading for another unit. Whatever preconceptions you have about Australia's convict past, this book will light a bomb under. It is without doubt one of the most readable, enjoyable, conversation-inspiring books you could read and I recommend it highly. Oh, and did I mention I love Hirst's writing? No? Okay, then, I love Hirst's writing. Why can't all historians write in such an engaging manner??????