Join award-winning historian Alan Atkinson in conversation with Catherine Gay about his latest book The House of Blue Glass: A life of Penelope Lucas(NewSouth, 2026).

Following on from his acclaimed joint biography of Elizabeth and John Macarthur, in his latest work Alan pieces together the life of the family governess who also acted as an accountant and whose bookkeeping work made an important difference to the Macarthurs’ success.

Attendance is free but registrations are essential. Copies of the book will be available for sale and signing at the event thanks to Harry Hartog booksellers. 

Alan Atkinson has been writing Australian history since the 1970s, and he has a lifelong interest in family circumstances and relationships. He has written or edited a dozen books, including The Europeans in Australia, in three volumes, the third of which won the Victorian Prize for Literature, and Elizabeth and John, which won the NSW Premier’s Award for Australian history. He is an honorary professor and Doctor of Letters with the University of Sydney.

Catherine Gay is an award-winning historian and curator of Australian history. She completed her PhD at the University of Melbourne in 2024. Her first book, Australian Girls: Growing up in the Nineteenth Century, will be released with Monash University Publishing in October 2026.