{"product_id":"9781863955614","title":"The First Fleet: The Real Story","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn 1787 a convoy of eleven ships, carrying about 1400 people, set out from England for Botany Bay. According to the conventional account, it was a shambolic affair: under-prepared, poorly equipped and ill-disciplined. Robert Hughes condemned the organisers’ “muddle and lack of foresight”, while Manning Clark described scenes of “indescribable misery and confusion”.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eThe First Fleet: The Real Story\u003c\/em\u003e, Alan Frost draws on previously forgotten records to debunk these persistent myths. He shows that the voyage was in fact meticulously planned – reflecting its importance to the British government’s secret ambitions for imperial expansion. He examines the ships and supplies, passengers and behind-the-scenes discussions. In the process, he reveals the hopes and schemes of those who planned the voyage, and the experiences of those who made it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Schwartz Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47063760535792,"sku":"9781863955614","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781863955614_p0.jpg?v=1763601196","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781863955614","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}