AustLit

'As the book cover tells us, Elizabeth and John Macarthur were the first married couple who chose to travel to the new colony of New South Wales, arriving in 1790, both aged twenty-three. John has come down to us as the legendary soldier, entrepreneur and pastoralist who became one of the largest landholders in the colony, promoting the colonial wool industry, tussling with a string of governors (including William Bligh, overthrown in 1808), speculating in trade, and generally earning the epithet ‘perturbator’, bestowed upon him by Philip Gidley King. John’s lengthy periods away from the colony left Elizabeth in charge of their affairs, and she has also been credited with the family’s survival and success. Here Alan Atkinson explores the dynamics of their marriage and family life across two generations.' (Introduction)