Half-Crown Bob

Half-Crown Bob is the longest work of fiction by Price Warung (1855-1911), one of colonial Australia's most popular writers. An affectionate character study of a "new chum" with a mysterious past who becomes universally beloved on the Victorian goldfields, Half-Crown Bob illustrates the pain of emigration in colonial times, the depths of filial loyalty and the redeeming nature of an upright character. From Monte Carlo to London to Ballarat, Bob's sacrificial destiny unfolds painfully and heroically. Published for the first time as a stand-alone work, this novella is a distilled shot of purity and tragedy worthy of Dickens, told in knock-about Australian style.