Dearest Mother: Letters from the Australian Gold Rush and Beyond
Language: English
Published by FriesenPress, 2026
Series: Book 1 of 1 - The Poignant Saga of Walter Bentley Woodbury
- Hardcover
- New

Seller: Revaluation Books, Exeter, United KingdomRevaluation Books
AbeBooks seller since January 6, 2003
Condition: New
£ 33.53
Quantity: 2 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
288 pages. 6.00x0.81x9.00 inches. In Stock.
Seller Inventory # x-1038342848
- Title
- Dearest Mother: Letters from the Australian Gold Rush and Beyond
- Author
- Morris, Muriel (Author)
- Publisher
- FriesenPress
- Publication year
- 2026
- Condition
- Brand New
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Language
- English
- ISBN 10
- 1038342848
- ISBN 13
- 9781038342843
- Item weight
- 0.54 kilograms
- Series
- Book 1 of 1: The Poignant Saga of Walter Bentley Woodbury
In 1852, eighteen-year-old Walter Bentley Woodbury set sail from England to Australia in search of gold. What he found instead, through hardship and heartbreak, was himself. These intimate letters, preserved across generations and transcribed with care, bring Walter's remarkable voice to life. From the muddy goldfields of Buninyong to Javanese jungles and a burgeoning career in photography, his correspondence reveals a restless, observant young man, desperate for his mother's approval as he grows into a pioneering inventor.
Woodbury went on to revolutionize photography with the Woodburytype process and was hailed as "the Edison of photography." From his studio in colonial Indonesia (then the Dutch East Indies), he captured striking images of temples, landscapes, and daily life. This work would earn him international acclaim. But in these letters, written with wit and surprising candour, we meet him not as a legend, but as a son, a dreamer, and a man of his time.
Interwoven with narrative context and rich family history, Dearest Mother is both a vivid coming-of-age story and a rare window into life during the Australian Gold Rush and 1850s colonial Indonesia. It offers a poignant reflection on lost art forms and the enduring ache of homesickness, serving as a reminder of the power of the written word to preserve connection across time and distance.
"Synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
Muriel is the author of Shakespeare Made Easy: An Illustrated Approach, a bestselling educational book in which Shakespeare's plays are acted out by cartoon dachshunds. A section of the book was featured in the National Shakespeare Institute's "Shakespeare, Man of the Millennium" exhibit in Stratford-upon-Avon. Her discovery of her great-grandfather Walter Bentley Woodbury's letters sparked years of research and the creation of two books. Not White Enough (2022) explores the racial prejudice that obscured Woodbury's photographic legacy; Dearest Mother brings his voice to life through letters written during the Australian Gold Rush and beyond.
When not writing, Muriel gardens, paints, and designs elaborate costumes for her dachshunds, Elfine and Ulla.
"About the title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Revaluation Books
Exeter, United Kingdom
AbeBooks seller since January 6, 2003
Shipping rates from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
| Item | 7 to 14 business days | 2 to 3 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | £ 12.50 | £ 30.00 |
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Edward Bowditch Ltd
Exstowe, Exton
Exeter, United Kingdom EX3 0PP
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Business correspondence address: Exstowe, Exton, Exeter, EX3 0PP
Company registration number: 04916632
VAT registration: GB834241546
Authorised representative: Mr. E. Bowditch
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