In May 1835 in a Sydney courtroom, a slight, balding man named
John Dow stood charged with forgery. The prisoner shocked the room
by claiming he was Edward, Viscount Lascelles, eldest son of the
powerful Earl of Harewood. The Crown alleged he was a confidence
trickster and serial impostor. Was this really the heir to one of
Britain's most spectacular fortunes?
Part Regency mystery, part imperial history, "A Swindler's
Progress" is an engrossing tale of adventure and deceit across two
worlds British aristocrats and Australian felons bound together in
an emerging age of opportunity and individualism, where personal
worth was battling power based on birth alone. The first historian
to unravel the mystery of John Dow and Edward Lascelles, Kirsten
McKenzie illuminates the darker side of this age of liberty, when
freedom could mean the freedom to lie both in the far-flung
outposts of empire and within the established bastions of British
power.
The struggles of the Lascelles family for social and political
power, and the tragedy of their disgraced heir, demonstrate that
British elites were as fragile as their colonial counterparts. In
ways both personal and profound, McKenzie recreates a world in
which Britain and the empire were intertwined in the transformation
of status and politics in the nineteenth century.
General
Imprint: |
Harvard University Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
March 2010 |
First published: |
March 2010 |
Authors: |
Kirsten McKenzie
|
Dimensions: |
235 x 155 x 29mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Hardcover - Sewn / Cloth over boards / With printed dust jacket
|
Pages: |
368 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-674-05278-9 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
0-674-05278-1 |
Barcode: |
9780674052789 |
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