David Kemp’s account of Australian liberalism is exceedingly interesting. He has put heart and soul into the first volume, The Land of Dreams, How Australians Won Their Freedom 1788-1860, part of a projected series of five books.
Rich in insight, combative in insisting on fresh perspectives, Akers and Reid have tossed a grenade into the edifice of neo-Marxist interpretations of labour history.
An impressive achievement of David Kemp’s first of five volumes on the history of Australian Liberalism, The Land of Dreams, How Australians Won Their Freedom 1788-1860, is his confident assessment of the interaction between Australian and British debates, personalities and writings, as well as the shifts of moods associated with political change.