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y separately published work icon The Thorn Birds single work   novel  
Issue Details: First known date: 1977... 1977 The Thorn Birds
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

The Thorn Birds is the unforgettable story of the Clearys, spanning three generations; a sweeping family saga of dreams, titanic struggles, dark passions, and forbidden love in the Australian Outback. (Source: Trove)

Adaptations

form y separately published work icon The Thorn Birds Carmen Culver , ( dir. Daryl Duke ) Los Angeles : David Wolper - Stan Margulies Productions , 1983 Z1287350 1983 single work film/TV

This four-part mini-series, set in Australia, covers forty-two years in the life of Ralph de Bricassart, a Roman Catholic priest who engages in a constant struggle between his calling and his carnal desires. In part one, a young Father Ralph is sent to administer a parish in outback Australia and finds himself drawn into a relationship with Mary Carson, owner of a massive sheep station. Here, too, he begins a close friendship with Carson's niece, Meggie Cleary, then a child. In part two, a bush fire destroys the Carson home and much of the station and stock. Later, having previously succumbed to their mutual passion, Father Ralph and Meggie experience an uncomfortable reunion. The politically ambitious Ralph also forms a strong and beneficial alliance with Archbishop Contini-Verchese, one of Rome's most influential religious leaders. Part three finds Meggie disillusioned after entering into an unhappy marriage. She eventually ends up working as a housemaid on a Queensland sugar-cane plantation, but later finds out that she is pregnant. The final episode, part four, covers a timespan of nearly thirty years (1935-1962) and focuses on the lives of Meggie's children, the flamboyant aspiring actress Justine and would-be priest Dane, neither of whom are initially aware of the past relationship between their mother and Father Ralph (aka Cardinal de Bricassart).

form y separately published work icon The Thorn Birds : The Missing Years David Stevens , ( dir. Kevin James Dobson ) United States of America (USA) Australia : The Wolper Organization Warner Brothers CBS Village Roadshow , 1996 Z1687957 1996 single work film/TV Picks up the story of The Thorn Birds from the German occupation of Rome and the Allied landing in Sicily. It follows the main character's eventual return to the endless miles of the Australian outback, where he must confront his passion, faith, and ultimate fate.
The Thorn Birds Gloria Bruni , Colleen McCullough , Michael Bogdanov , Gloria Bruni (composer), 2009 single work musical theatre

Notes

  • Dedication: For 'big sister' Jean Easthope
  • Also published in the series, Penguin Readers, Level 6; retold by Ann Ward (1998); and as part of a Reader's Digest Condensed Book, The Thorn Birds : and other stories (1978).
  • Also translated into other languages not listed here.

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • New York (City), New York (State),
      c
      United States of America (USA),
      c
      Americas,
      :
      Sydney, New South Wales,: Harper and Row ,
      1977 .
      image of person or book cover 2731169409310710061.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: 533p.
      Note/s:
      • Note on verso title page : 'Published simultaneously in Canada by Fitzhenry and Whiteside Limited, Toronto, and simultaneously in Australia-New Zealand by Harper & Row (Australasia) Pty. Ltd.'
      • First published May 1977.
      ISBN: 0060129565
    • London,
      c
      England,
      c
      c
      United Kingdom (UK),
      c
      Western Europe, Europe,
      :
      Raven Books ,
      1977 .
      image of person or book cover 7243635465549926510.jpg
      This image has been sourced from Abe Books
      Extent: [9], 533p.
      ISBN: 0354042319
    • New York (City), New York (State),
      c
      United States of America (USA),
      c
      Americas,
      :
      Harper and Row ,
      1977 .
      image of person or book cover 2102341996233945784.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: 525p.
      Note/s:
      • Copyright date
      ISBN: 0063120046 (pbk.)
    • London,
      c
      England,
      c
      c
      United Kingdom (UK),
      c
      Western Europe, Europe,
      :
      MacDonald ,
      1977 .
      image of person or book cover 7410088646460639221.jpg
      This image has been sourced from Abe Books
      Extent: 558p.
      Note/s:
      • Also published 1984.
      ISBN: 0356108082
    • New York (City), New York (State),
      c
      United States of America (USA),
      c
      Americas,
      :
      Harper and Row ,
      1977 .
      Extent: 560p.
      Edition info: [Book Club ed.]
    • New York (City), New York (State),
      c
      United States of America (USA),
      c
      Americas,
      :
      Avon Books ,
      1977 .
      image of person or book cover 4688948257913412546.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: 673p.
      Note/s:
      • 1st paperback ed.
      ISBN: 0060837551 (pbk.)
    • London,
      c
      England,
      c
      c
      United Kingdom (UK),
      c
      Western Europe, Europe,
      :
      Futura ,
      1978 .
      image of person or book cover 876903808650298704.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: 591p.
      ISBN: 0708813747
    • New York (City), New York (State),
      c
      United States of America (USA),
      c
      Americas,
      :
      Avon Books ,
      1978 .
      image of person or book cover 4436549142887920069.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: 692p.
      ISBN: 0380018179
    • Salisbury, Wiltshire,
      c
      England,
      c
      c
      United Kingdom (UK),
      c
      Western Europe, Europe,
      :
      Graham Pub. ,
      1978 .
      image of person or book cover 2280576305141085531.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: 533p.
      ISBN: 0869210092
    • New York (City), New York (State),
      c
      United States of America (USA),
      c
      Americas,
      :
      Avon Books ,
      1981 .
      image of person or book cover 8763637645707421005.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: 530p.
      ISBN: 0380563908
    • New York (City), New York (State),
      c
      United States of America (USA),
      c
      Americas,
      :
      Avon Books ,
      1982 .
      Extent: 692p.
      ISBN: 0380018177
    • London,
      c
      England,
      c
      c
      United Kingdom (UK),
      c
      Western Europe, Europe,
      :
      Warner Books ,
      1993 .
      image of person or book cover 6381022228714276537.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: 591p.
      Reprinted: 1998
      ISBN: 0751506001 (pbk.)
    • New York (City), New York (State),
      c
      United States of America (USA),
      c
      Americas,
      :
      Gramercy Books ,
      1998 .
      image of person or book cover 6019307177078782190.jpg
      This image has been sourced from Abe Books
      Extent: 693p.
      ISBN: 0517201658
    • London,
      c
      England,
      c
      c
      United Kingdom (UK),
      c
      Western Europe, Europe,
      :
      Head of Zeus ,
      2013 .
      Extent: 288p.p.
      Note/s:
      • Published 28th March 2013.
      ISBN: 9781781852507 (ebk)
    • Sydney South, South Sydney area, Sydney Southern Suburbs, Sydney, New South Wales,: HarperCollins Australia , 2015 .
      image of person or book cover 7629443280370224571.jpg
      Image courtesy of publisher's website.
      Extent: 752p.p.
      Note/s:
      • Published 23 November 2015.
      ISBN: 9780732297497, 0732297494
Alternative title: Dornenvogel : Roman
Language: German
    • Vienna,
      c
      Austria,
      c
      Western Europe, Europe,
      :
      Verlag Fritz Molden ,
      1977 .
      image of person or book cover 4020709777196103060.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: 654p.
      Description: illus., map
      Note/s:
      • This translation republished several times.
      ISBN: 3217008944

Other Formats

  • Sound recording.
  • Large print.
  • Braille.
  • Sound recording. (Vietnamese)

Works about this Work

form y separately published work icon The Book Club [December 2014] Sydney : Australian Broadcasting Corporation , 2014 15255125 2014 film/TV

Host Jennifer Byrne joins regular panelists Marieke Hardy and Jason Steger, and guests Graeme Simsion and Kitty Flanagan to discuss "The Top 10 Classic Beach Books".

Books that Changed Me : Rachael Treasure Rachael Treasure , 2013 single work column
— Appears in: The Sun-Herald , 17 February 2013; (p. 14) The Sunday Age , 17 February 2013; (p. 14)
Success a Thorn in Author's Side 2013 single work column
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 5 October 2013; (p. 3)
Books that Changed Me : Anne McCullagh Rennie Anne Rennie , 2012 single work column
— Appears in: The Sun-Herald , 12 August 2012; (p. 14)
Writing on the Sheep's Back Nicole Alexander , 2012 single work criticism
— Appears in: Australian Author , June vol. 44 no. 2 2012; (p. 13-15)
'Bush fiction has a long and proud tradition in Australia but it has enjoyed a new lease of life over the past decade. Why is it booming agaian and what's different this time.' Nicole Alexander.
On My Bedside Table Cathy Kelly , 2009 single work review
— Appears in: The West Australian , 11 April 2009; (p. 28)

— Review of The Thorn Birds Colleen McCullough , 1977 single work novel
Corn Birds : A Reply to Dorothy Green Mark Macleod , 1977 single work review
— Appears in: Quadrant , October vol. 21 no. 10 1977; (p. 71-72)

— Review of The Thorn Birds Colleen McCullough , 1977 single work novel
Porn Birds Dorothy Green , 1977 single work review
— Appears in: Quadrant , July vol. 21 no. 7 1977; (p. 70-72)

— Review of The Thorn Birds Colleen McCullough , 1977 single work novel
Untitled A. Brookner , 1977 single work review
— Appears in: The Times Literary Supplement , 7 October 1977; (p. 1135)

— Review of The Thorn Birds Colleen McCullough , 1977 single work novel
Untitled D. R. Burns , 1977 single work review
— Appears in: Nation Review , 9-15 June 1977; (p. 16)

— Review of The Thorn Birds Colleen McCullough , 1977 single work novel
Regional Publishing Remains a Closed Book Fiona Carruthers , 1993 single work criticism
— Appears in: The Australian , 10 November 1993; (p. 19)
Thorn Bird Country Bettina Cummins , 1979 single work column
— Appears in: Waves (Canada) , vol. 7 no. 4 1979; (p. 36-37)
Here's to You Mrs Robinson Paul LePetit , 1989 single work biography
— Appears in: The Australian Magazine , 18-19 November 1989; (p. 30-38)
I Colleen Janet Hawley , 2007 single work biography
— Appears in: Good Weekend , 10 February 2007; (p. 26)
TBR : Inside the List Dwight Garner , 2007 single work column
— Appears in: The New York Times Book Review , 1July vol. 112 no. 26 2007; (p. 18)
Last amended 2 Oct 2020 13:38:36
Settings:
  • c
    Australia,
    c
  • c
    New Zealand,
    c
    Pacific Region,
  • Australian Outback, Central Australia,
  • 1910s
  • 1920s
  • 1930s
  • 1940s
  • 1950s
  • 1960s
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