A Land of Promise: An Account of Jacob Isaacs, Jewish Convict, and Benjamin Isaacs, Christian Printer and Publisher. by Jacobsen, Kris - 2009

Canberra, Kambah: The Author: Kris Jacobsen, 2009. 1st ed.. Paperback large octavo, very good condition, full-page colour & sepia (brown-tinted) plates (mostly of paintings), black & white drawings (mostly letters), tables, minor edgewear. 188 pp. First edition. The story of a young Jew, Jacob Isaacs, and his son Benjamin, who were living in the oppressive social and economic conditions in the east London district of Whitechapel. Jacob had been trained as a hatter but, driven to crime by his pervasive poverty and an eye for a quick gain, he turned to criminal activities which resulted in his transportation, on two separate occasions, to the penal colony of New South Wales. Benjamin became involved in a charitable London institution which installed Christian beliefs, and provided n education and an apprenticeship in the printing trade. He migrated free to New South Wales where he was responsible for establishing the first newspaper at Parramatta and Bathurst. In a career spanning a lifetime dedicated to the printed word, he also became involved in the early newspaper press of Sydney, Windsor, Goulburn and New Zealand. This book by Kris Jacobsen (a descendent) investigates their lives from adverse circumstances of Whitechapel to the opportunities found in a new land half a world away.