Jim McAloon
The book
Wealth and power in a colonial society is the subject of this book. It is a detailed study of the richest settlers in southern New Zealand, where the country's earliest fortunes were made, mostly by pastoral farmers and financiers. Who where the rich? Not born gentlemen, the author shows, but astute and innovative capitalists, generally from relatively humble origins, Drawing on innovative research using wills, business papers and biographical sources, he investigates how they made their money, the significance of family relationships and the role of women, the influence of the rich on national and local politics, and how they justified and maintained their position.
This book is a major contribution to our understanding of the colonial New Zealand economy, of the class structure of colonial society, and of the values and perceptions of the rich.
History winner at the Montana New Zealand Book Awards 2003
The author
JIM McALOON is senior lecturer in history at Lincoln University, Canterbury. He has published widely in New Zealand labour, economic and social history. He is the co-author of Unpacking the Kists: The Scots in New Zealand.
Publication details
Paperback, 232 pages, illustrated, ISBN 1 877276 23 5, $39.95
2002
Out of print, buy ebook link above