Description
Pearl divers & sea rovers in Australian seas.
Mr. Idriess reveals to the reader the technique of pearling with him, the reader boards the lugger for the pearling grounds, makes the acquaintance of the skipper and crew, dons the diving dress and descends to the sea floor, sees the wonders of a new and beautiful, fascinating and frightful world, shares the divers’ dangers, gathers the shell, opens it on the lugger, thrills at the sight of baroque and pearls, sells them to the dealer and watches as the rough pearl is transformed by delicate and skilful hands into a thing of exquisite loveliness. – Canberra Times, 1937
His extraordinary thoroughness in inquiry… his almost microscopic accuracy of observation, and his almost poetic gift of natural description – not to speak of narrative power often seen in harmonious combination with this cannot be too often insisted upon as positive and peculiar merits. – Sydney Morning Herald, 1937
About the Author
Ion Idriess (1889—1979) is one of Australia’s best-loved writers, with fifty-six books to his credit and millions of copies sold. When he returned from the First World War he wrote The Desert Column, about his experiences with the 5th Light Horse. Prospecting for Gold was his first major successful work; it immediately sold out and was reprinted constantly in the following years, as were many of his books. Idriess spent much of his life travelling throughout Australia, collecting material for his true-life stories, including Flynn of the Inland, The Red Chief and Nemarluk. He was awarded the O.B.E. in 1968 for his contribution to Australian literature.
