author
John West
1809–1873
A minister, journalist, and historian, he became one of colonial Tasmania’s most influential public voices. His writing is best remembered for bringing moral urgency and vivid storytelling to the history of Van Diemen’s Land.
2 Audiobooks
The History of Tasmania , Volume II
by John West
The History of Tasmania, Volume I
by John West
About the author
Born in England on January 17, 1809, he emigrated to Van Diemen’s Land in 1838 as a missionary and soon became a leading Congregational minister in Launceston. Alongside his church work, he threw himself into public life, helping to found local institutions and taking an active role in journalism.
He is best known as the author of The History of Tasmania (1852), a major early account of the island’s colonial past. His writing stood out for its strong moral purpose, especially in its condemnation of transportation and its concern for the fate of Aboriginal Tasmanians.
Later, his reputation as a writer and public thinker led John Fairfax to bring him to Sydney, where he became editor of The Sydney Morning Herald. He held that position until his death in 1873, leaving a legacy as both a forceful newspaper editor and one of the notable literary voices of nineteenth-century Australia.