ABSTRACT
In 1852 William Howitt, author, journalist and editor, journeyed to Australia with his two sons Alfred and Charlton, seeking gold in the hope of overcoming his mounting financial difficulties. This chapter explores the first of William Howitt's series of publications based on his Australian experiences, a fictional account titled A Boy's Adventures in the Wilds of Australia; or Herbert's Note-Book. Subsequently, in 1855, Longmans published his Land, Labour, and Gold; or, Two Years in Victoria and in 1857 the fictional Tallangetta, the Squatter's Home, a Story of Australian Life appeared. In his "Preface" to Land, Labour and Gold Howitt suggests that he felt "a great national duty" to produce an account of Australia that was as complete and as balanced as he could make it, in particular for those who might choose to emigrate. The expansion of the British Empire in the nineteenth century produced a new kind of children's literature: the adventure narrative.
