This is a rare, enlightening and beautifully presented book. Seize it. - The Australian The Colonial Earth challenges the widespread belief that Australia s colonial settlers despised their environment and were blind to their own destructiveness. Tim Bonyhady reveals that many colonists not only delighted in their new surroundings but also wanted to preserve them. Our first environmental laws were proclaimed as early as 1788. Many of our most important modern environmental concerns such as preserving endangered species, protecting forests, maintaining public rights over the foreshore and even the threat of climate change already loomed large for Australia's first European settlers. Art is Bonyhady s starting point. The work of many of Australia's finest painters is central to his story. But he also draws upon a remarkable array of sources, from parliamentary debates to poems, to show that concern for Australia's environment is not new, but is deeply rooted in our past. Winner of the NSW Premier s History Prize Winner of the Queensland Premier's History Prize Shortlisted for the Victorian Premier's Literary Prize; The Age Book of the Year; the NSW Douglas Stewar