An interesting look at the first 4 years of European settlement in the land that would become known as Australia, if you can get past the extremely dense writing style. Well researched and told from a mix of perspectives, both British and Aboriginal. I liked how the author situated the establishment of the penal colony of New South Wales in the context of the development of capitalism, explaining why there was such an explosion of petty crime in Britain at the time and why the authorities responded to it in such a draconian manner.