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James Hardy Vaux's 1819 Dictionary of Criminal Slang and Oth

James Hardy Vaux's 1819 Dictionary of Criminal Slang and Oth

by Simon Barnard

 From the award-winning author and illustrator Simon Barnard comes an embellished version of Australia's first ever dictionary, published on its 200-year anniversary.

Format
HB
Category
Non-Fiction
Publisher
Penguin Random House Australia Pty Ltd
Publish Date
August 2019

In the early 1800s magistrates in the Australian colonies were often frustrated by the language used by reoffending convicts to disguise their criminal activities and intensions. Convict clerk James Hardy Vaux came up with a useful idea- a dictionary of slang and other terms used by convicts. And so, in 1819, he compiled what was to be Australia's first published dictionary.

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