The Exhibition Building, Melbourne in 1880. Richard Twopeny was the secretary for the South Australian entry for the Melbourne exhibition in 1880. Photo courtesy of Museum Victoria

This book gives the reader a window on every day city life in the Australian colonies in the early 1880s.  Written by a newspaper editor and first published in 1883, this book is concise and informative. The author uses direct language and at times does not hold back his opinion making the book enjoyable to read.  Written as a series of letters, each chapter is on a separate topic allowing the reader to pick up and put down the book without losing the thread of the writing. Continue reading →