Maria Nugent’s Captain Cook was Here (Cambridge University Press) was shortlisted for the Nettie Palmer Non-Fiction award

Judges’ Report:

Captain Cook Was Here – Maria Nugent (Cambridge University Press)

‘Maria Nugent has taken the wonderfully simple notion of exploring, day by day, Cook and his company’s eight days and eight nights at Botany Bay. Each day she takes us, from dawn to dusk, through the events and observations that would have had such a profound impact on the first people in their land and the nation which followed. Drawing on first hand historical accounts, artefacts and artwork she surprises and delights. Nugent brings us very close to Cook and the Gweagal and Gameygal, and then moves forward and backwards in time, drawing on example and evidence, to allow us to understand more of the significance and implications of these encounters. The scholarship and writing combine in an extraordinary way, presenting a challenging retelling of what was a story we all thought we knew. This is a book about history that speaks clearly to us today.’

http://wheelercentre.com/projects/victorian-premier-s-literary-awards/judge-s-reports-2010