AustLit logo

AustLit

y separately published work icon Thunderbolt : An Australian Story single work   novel   adventure  
Issue Details: First known date: 1894... 1894 Thunderbolt : An Australian Story
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.

AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'The Rev. J. M. Macdonald (b. 1857) recounts the exploits of Thunderbolt and his gang in the Bendigo-Clunes district of Victoria during the late 'sixties. He includes historical characters, among whom are the Governor (Viscount Canterbury), Sir James McCulloch and others; and discusses the politics of the day, including Imperial Federation. He wrongly assumes that a statement by his character, Samuel Gregory, M. L. C., was the first printed sketch of an Imperial British Parliament'. - Miller.

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

Works about this Work

‘There’s a Dead Body in My Library’ : Crime Fiction Texts and the History of Libraries Rachel Franks , 2015 single work criticism
— Appears in: The Australian Library Journal , vol. 64 no. 4 2015; (p. 288-300)
'Since the publication of Australia’s first crime novel in 1830, Australians have read crime fiction for entertainment, for the reassurance that wrongdoers will be punished, and to test their deductive skills against those of their favourite sleuth. The novels, short stories and plays within the crime fiction genre that have been produced in Australia between colonial times and the present day also offer opportunities to investigate a particular place or a particular time. Indeed, many crime fiction writers have mastered the art of recreating settings in both rural and metropolitan landscapes. The details provided within these works ultimately reveal a culprit (usually a murderer), yet they also outline the availability of certain products, bus and train timetables, the floor plans of local hotels or world-famous buildings and numerous other particulars, thus providing a rich, if surprising, source of material for the merely curious and the professional researcher. Crime fiction stories set within libraries present a history of the information services profession. This paper demonstrates how crime fiction can provide an important supplement to more traditional historical sources, with a focus on how the genre has documented some of the major changes within libraries over the last 75 years, since 1939.' (Publication abstract)
‘There’s a Dead Body in My Library’ : Crime Fiction Texts and the History of Libraries Rachel Franks , 2015 single work criticism
— Appears in: The Australian Library Journal , vol. 64 no. 4 2015; (p. 288-300)
'Since the publication of Australia’s first crime novel in 1830, Australians have read crime fiction for entertainment, for the reassurance that wrongdoers will be punished, and to test their deductive skills against those of their favourite sleuth. The novels, short stories and plays within the crime fiction genre that have been produced in Australia between colonial times and the present day also offer opportunities to investigate a particular place or a particular time. Indeed, many crime fiction writers have mastered the art of recreating settings in both rural and metropolitan landscapes. The details provided within these works ultimately reveal a culprit (usually a murderer), yet they also outline the availability of certain products, bus and train timetables, the floor plans of local hotels or world-famous buildings and numerous other particulars, thus providing a rich, if surprising, source of material for the merely curious and the professional researcher. Crime fiction stories set within libraries present a history of the information services profession. This paper demonstrates how crime fiction can provide an important supplement to more traditional historical sources, with a focus on how the genre has documented some of the major changes within libraries over the last 75 years, since 1939.' (Publication abstract)
Last amended 20 Jun 2016 14:19:18
Settings:
  • Ballarat - Bendigo area, Victoria,
  • 1860s
Newspapers:
    Powered by Trove
    X