Author(s): Jim McAloon

SECONDHAND BOOKS | HISTORY

Winner, Montana New Zealand Book Awards, 2003 (Non-Fiction: History section) 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 were 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 realtionships and the role of women, the influence of the rich on national and local politics, and how they justified and maintained their position. The 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.

2002. First edition. A fine, unmarked copy.