Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} The Peaks Of Lyell by Geoffrey Blainey The Peaks of Lyell. The Peaks of Lyell is a book by Geoffrey Blainey, originally published in 1954. It contains the history of the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company, and through association, Queenstown and further the West Coast Tasmania. It is unique for this type of book in that it has gone to the sixth edition in 2000, and few company histories in Australia have achieved such continual publishing. Blainey was fortunate in being able to speak to older people about the history of the west coast, some who had known Queenstown in its earliest years. The book gives an interesting overview from the materials and people Blainey was able to access in the early 1950s, and the omissions. Due to the nature of a company history, a number of items of Queenstown history did have alternative interpretations on events such as the 1912 North Mount Lyell Disaster, and there were residents of Queenstown living in the town as late as the 1970s who had stories that differed from the official company history. Significant characters from the West Coast Tasmania history such as Robert Carl Sticht and James Crotty amongst a longer list probably still deserve further work on their significance in west coast and tasmanian history, but the book has had significant 'presence' in being in print for so long, new scholarship on some of the neglected topics of west coast history only emerged in the late 1990s. In 1994, when the fifth edition was printed, the Mount Lyell company closed down, and most of the records held by the company were donated to the State Library of Tasmania. By the 2000s a sixth edition was published. History from the source. 'The Peaks of Lyell', written by Geoffrey Blainey and published in 1954 was conceived as a history of the Mt Lyell Mining Company. It has also become essential reading for an understanding of the history of the West Coast mining community of Queenstown and surrounds. Nearly six decades later the historian has returned to help commemorate and celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Mt Lyell mining disaster that killed 42 men. Geoffrey Blainey surveys the hills surrounding the town of Linda, the bare slopes leading up to the now infamous North Mt. Lyell Mine. He explains that in the early 1950's while reseaching for his book, The Peaks of Lyell, he roamed the landscape, discovering abandoned camps, artifacts, rail and walking tracks, and prospector's diggings. We are standing outside what is left of the Royal Hotel, an 1890's double storey formwork concrete building, that dominates the few remaining signs of civilisation in Linda. Linda and Gormaston were miner towns on the south eastern side of Mt Lyell, while Queenstown to the west was the smelting centre, and became the enduring town that celebrated 100 years since the Mt Lyell mining disaster this weekend. Professor Blainey tells me had a meal in the Royal, and still has the receipt, which makes me look at the building again, to imagine a magnificent structure with smoke coming from the chimney and the people gathered inside. Instead, I see a shell of a building; no roof, windows or doors. He goes on to recount the three years he lived in the remote West Coast community, from 1951 to 1953, when the mining towns each had their own football teams, their own local council. There were still miners alive who lived through the disaster which trapped around 100 men deep under the mountain, and took 42 from the small communities. "There were 50 men inprisoned in the mine for four days and four nights not knowing what their fate would be." One miner told a young Blainey, "I somehow hoped that I would be rescued, but my main hope was how could we get warm." Through miserable conditions, a heroic rescue attempt unfolded on the surface, equipment and men came from Hobart, Launceston and Melbourne. On the night of the fourth day, the surviving miners emerged one by one to a crowd of over 2000 people on the side of the sheer mountain, there to celebrate and grieve. Professor Blainey was on hand for commemorations and celebrations this weekend in Queenstown, for the Heritage and Arts Festival. He participated in talks and debates, and enjoyed the opportunity to reaquant with people who he spent the first few years of his professional life with. "Coming back and meeting people you used to know and talking about it, you realise how great an isolated town can be despite its isolation: it's both a curse and a blessing isn't it?" Related Photos. Eminent Australian historian, Geoffrey Blainey returned to the place he wrote his first book, The Peaks of Lyell ( Tim Walker - ABC Local ) The Peaks of Lyell. The Peaks of Lyell is a book by Geoffrey Blainey, originally published in 1954. It contains the history of the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company, and through association, Queenstown and further the West Coast Tasmania. It is unique for this type of book in that it has gone to the sixth edition in 2000, and few company histories in Australia have achieved such continual publishing. lainey was fortunate in being able to speak to older people about the history of the West Coast, some who had known Queenstown in its earliest years. The book gives an interesting overview from the materials and people Blainey was able to access in the early 1950s, and the omissions. Due to the nature of a company history, a number of items of Queenstown history did have alternative interpretations on events such as the 1912 North Mount Lyell Disaster, and there were residents of Queenstown living in the town as late as the 1970s who had stories that differed from the official company history. Significant characters from the West Coast Tasmania history such as Robert Carl Sticht and James Crotty amongst a longer list probably still deserve further work on their significance in West Coast and Tasmanian history, but the book has had significant 'presence' in being in print for so long, new scholarship on some of the neglected topics of West Coast history only emerged in the late 1990s. In 1994, when the fifth edition was printed, the Mount Lyell company closed down, and most of the records held by the company were donated to the State Library of Tasmania. By the 2000s a sixth edition was published. Read more about The Peaks Of Lyell: Publication History, See Also. Famous quotes containing the word peaks : “ Why wont they let a year die without bringing in a new one on the instant, cant they use birth control on time? I want an interregnum. The stupid years patter on with unrelenting feet, never stopping—rising to little monotonous peaks in our imaginations at festivals like New Year’s and Easter and Christmas—But, goodness, why need they do it? ” —John Dos Passos (1896–1970) Tim's Adventures in Reading. What can anyone say about Geoffrey Blainey, the prominent Australian historian, that hasn't been said before - like Barry Jones and Phillip Adams, he is an Australian living legend. I am sure we have all read The Tyranny of Distance at some stage or another - it used to be one of the standard school books for Australian History classes. I have a number of his books in my library. The Peaks of Lyell (1967 and 2000 Editions) The Rise of Broken Hill (1968) The Tyranny of Distance (1974 Illustrated Edition) A Short History of the World (2001) Black Kettle and Full Moon (2003 anthology) A Short History of the 20th Century (2006) First published in 1994, this 2014 edition goes right up to last few years. I borrowed it from Coburg Library in August 2017. Like his Short History of the World and his Short History of the 20th Century, this volume is well researched and very easy to read. The blurb says it all After a lifetime of research and debate on Australian and international history, Geoffrey Blainey is well-placed to introduce us to the people who have played a part and to guide us through the events that have created the Australian identity: the mania for spectator sport; the suspicion of the tall poppy; the rivalries of Catholic and Protestant, Sydney and Melbourne, new and old homelands and new and old allies; the conflicts of war abroad and race at home; the importance of technology; defining the outback; the rise and rise of the mining industry; the recognition of our Aboriginal past and Native Title; and the successes and failures of the nation. For this enlarged edition Blainey has rewritten or expanded on various episodes and themes and updated relevant matter. He also describes significant events and trends of the early-20th century. A timeline of major events in Australian history is also included. Recommended for all Australians. A Short History of the 20th Century - Geoffrey Blainey (2006) Picked this up at Dymocks in August 2015 and read it very quickly. The book from celebrated Australian historian Geoffrey Blainey takes us on a global journey through a tempestuous hundred years. His eye for detail and evocative style bring to vivid life many of the events that marked the 20th century: two world wars, the rise and fall of communist states, the worst economic slump in the world's history, the decline of European monarchies and empires, the ascent of the first female prime ministers, the resurgence of Asia, and the exploration of outer space.