The Australian Colonists: An Exploration of Social History 1788-1870, Melbourne University Press, Carlton, Vic., 1974
While the subject matter is ostensibly people, war and peace, holidays and ‘the stuff of history’ in the years nominated, the book begins with a rumination about the importance of Anzac Day in Australian history. Thinking about Anzac Day led the author to ask questions about alternative possible national days, early military exploits, violence at home and alternatives to the Digger as an Australian hero. Some of these thoughts were further explored in Inglis’s later works, notably Sacred Places and his contributions to Australians: A Historical Library. A 1976 review is downloadable here at a cost.