Pansy : A Life of Roy Douglas Wright * Signed By Author *

McPhee, Peter

ISBN 10: 0522846262 / ISBN 13: 9780522846263

Published by Melbourne University Press, 1999

About this Item

Signed by author 'For Victor, with many thanks for your insights into a man you knew so well.' to half title page. Very good hardback in very good jacket. Minor wear and tanning and minor edge creasing along top edge of jacket. --- General information: please email for any more information or condition photos. There may be other minor faults not included here, but this description should include all important points and convey accurately the overall conditon of the book(s). We are happy to give a more detailed description (by volume where applicable) on request. Posted next day (Mon-Fri) from the UK. We normally post by Royal Mail 1st class within the UK, but may use a slower service for books over 1kg or multiple orders or a tracked service for higher value orders. We normally post by Royal Mail Airmail for overseas deliveries, and may request additional postage (at cost) for heavier books or for tracking (buyers always have the option to cancel the order if we do so). Seller Inventory # 006123

Bibliographic Details

Title: Pansy : A Life of Roy Douglas Wright * ...

Publisher: Melbourne University Press

Publication Date: 1999

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Very Good

Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good

Signed: Signed by Author(s)

Edition: First Edition

About this title

Synopsis:

Roy Douglas ('Pansy') Wright was one of the great Australians of the twentieth century.

Born on a hill-country farm in northern Tasmania in 1907, he became an extraordinarily successful medical scientist and a builder of institutions such as the Australian National University, the Peter MacCallum Cancer Clinic and the Howard Florey Institute. He was loved for his brilliant, often ribald, wit, his fierce loyalties and his sympathy for the underdog. He died in 1990, shortly after completing a decade as Chancellor of the University of Melbourne.

Wright was a legendary teacher and much-loved colleague and mentor. However, his ebullient style disguised the private difficulties of a person who was often unhappy and awkward with intimacy. He was also a controversial man. His rivals interpreted his relentless energy in creating medical institutions as megalomania. Others found his blunt personal style abrasive and offensive.

In particular, his championing of Professor Sydney Sparkes Orr—dismissed by the University of Tasmania in 1956 for allegedly having seduced one of his students—embroiled him in a decade of public controversy.

In this delightfully lucid biography, Peter McPhee reveals the many contradictions in this complex and brilliant man.

About the Author:

Like R. D. Wright, Peter McPhee spent his childhood in a small country town and his student days at the University of Melbourne. He taught at La Trobe University and the Victoria University of Wellington before returning to the University of Melbourne, where he has held a Personal Chair in History since 1993. He has published widely on the history of modern France, notably A Social History of France 1780â 1880 and Revolution and Environment in Southern France 1780â 1830.