Robbery Under Arms (1888) is a novel by Rolf Boldrewood, the pseudonym
of Australian novelist Thomas Browne. A squatter for nearly twenty-five
years, he came to know the ways of life on the outskirts of
civilization, which allowed him to lead a peaceful, uncomplicated, and
inexpensive existence. Originally serialized in Australian weekly
magazines, Browne's work as Rolf Bolfrewood is an incomparable record of
colonial Australia, where outlaws and speculators lived side by side on
land stolen from the continent's Aboriginal peoples. Robbery Under Arms
has been adapted several times for film and theater. "My name's Dick
Marston, Sydney-side native. I'm twenty-nine years old, six feet in my
stocking soles, and thirteen stone weight. Pretty strong and active with
it, so they say. I don't want to blow--not here, any road--but it takes
a good man to put me on my back, or stand up to me with the gloves, or
the naked mauleys." Imprisoned for his crimes, Dick Marston prepares to
be executed. With one month to live, he sits down to write the story of
his life as an Australian bushranger. Alongside Captain Starlight, an
English nobleman turned outlaw, he participated in a string of cattle
thefts and armed robberies that would bring him enough gold and infamy
to last a lifetime. Action-packed and fast-paced, Robbery Under Arms
is a brilliant adventure novel from one of nineteenth century
Australia's most popular writers of fiction. With a beautifully designed
cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Rolf
Boldrewood's Robbery Under Arms is a classic work of Australian
literature reimagined for modern readers.
