Author(s): Alison Alexander

Tasmanian

"The fascinating story of the officer and the convict, Edward Lord and Maria Riseley, who made a fortune in early Hobart by their business and networking skills - only to throw it away in the 1820s by extravagance and financial incompetence (Edward) and sexual infidelity (Maria). This is also the real story of early Hobart, not whitewashed as it usually is to show our glorious beginnings or because the gullible historian actually believes the official sources ... Everyone wanted to make a fortune, and they weren't too scrupulous about how they did it. Fleecing the British government was the most popular way, but they also fleeced each other, exploited, embezzled, stole. Almost no one in Hobart's first twenty years has a creditable record ..."--Author's website.