Mary Ann and Captain Piper (Non-Fiction)

Mary Ann and Captain Piper

by Jessica North

The fascinating story of the daughter of First Fleet convicts who managed to overcome her humble origins to become the mistress of the grandest home in colonial Sydney.

Format: Paperback
Category: Non-Fiction
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Publish Date: March 2022

Born on Norfolk Island to First Fleet convicts, Mary Ann was destined to become a farmer's wife. Instead, at the age of fourteen she entranced the island's Commandant, the charming and flirtatious Captain Piper. Learning how to behave as a lady, and overcoming the stigma of her origins, Mary Ann became mistress of the colony's grandest home when Sydney was just becoming a party town. With scores of servants, she and Captain Piper entertained on a scale that had never been seen in the colonies, hosting magnificent garden parties, dinners and balls for hundreds of guests, including governors of New South Wales. But the Pipers were living beyond their means, and trouble was around the corner. Mary Ann's life journey from barefoot child to Sydney's fashionable society encompasses triumphs, tragedies and travels around the globe. For the first time, Jessica North's biography reveals Mary Ann Piper to be one of the most remarkable women in Australia's early history.

Other titles you should consider ...

The Season

Helen Garner

Bluey's Beach

Bluey

The Defiance of Frances Dickinson

Wendy Parkins

Minority Report

George Megalogenis

Not all products are available in all stores.

Click HERE to view our latest Catalogues.

Visit your local Independent Bookstore for the best new releases!

Craig Silvey's Runt Wins Big

20 March 2023

Thirteen years after Jasper Jones was awarded Book Of The Year (in 2009), Australian independent booksellers are thrilled to announce RUNT by Craig Silvey (Allen & Unwin) as their favourite book from last year, and the winner of The Indie Book Awards 2023 Book of the Year.

Australian Independent Bookseller