In Defence Of Lives & Property: Weapons Used In Australia
Australian Military History Colonial History True Stories Antiquarian Reference Firearms & Weapons Technology Militaria Collecting Australian Technological History
First-edition copies of Edgar F. Penzig’s 1981 hardback “In Defence Of Lives & Property: Weapons Used In Australia” seldom surface in collectable condition, so this clean, tight example—complete with its original dust-jacket and all illustrated plates—is a genuine find for collectors of Australiana, militaria or colonial technology. Published by the respected Kangaroo Press, the book is already 40+ years old and is recognised as one of the earliest comprehensive studies devoted to the firearms, edged weapons and improvised arms that guarded Australian lives and livelihoods from the late 1700s through both World Wars.
Penzig combines meticulous research with first-hand accounts, making the narrative accessible to young-adult readers yet authoritative enough for academic reference. Every chapter tracks a different era—convict-era flintlocks, gold-field revolvers, bushranger rifles, World War Lee-Enfields, civilian defence pieces—showing how geography, industry and war shaped the nation’s arsenal. Generous black-and-white photographs, technical line drawings and period advertisements appear on almost every other page, giving collectors clear visual data on proof marks, manufacturer's stamps and unit/issue numbers that drive today's militaria market.
Because the volume is an Australian-print first edition, it carries the correct spelling, measurements and local unit designations often edited out of later reprints, a detail valued by historians re-enacting or cataloguing colonial and Commonwealth weapons. The book’s hard-wearing cloth boards and illustrated jacket have protected the pages so well that the only defect is the removal of the front grey blank endpaper—an inconspicuous flaw that leaves the text block pristine and free of inscriptions, foxing or dog-ears. For anyone curating a library on Australian military history, weapons technology or colonial life, this copy offers both shelf presence and enduring reference utility.
Refer to our eBay listing for a full condition report and many more high-quality pictures of this item.
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