Ted May And The Forlorn Hope
Historical Fiction Australian Literature Art & Illustration Young Adult Fiction Picture Book Collector's & Antiquarian Visual Narrative Colonial Australian History
Ted May and the Forlorn Hope is a scarce, illustrated softcover that occupies the sweet spot between picture book and art folio, making it irresistible to collectors of Australiana, artist monographs, and curious Young Adult or Adult readers who love visual storytelling. Gordon Morrison’s detailed, hand-drawn plates carry the narrative as much as J.P. Stow’s economical prose, so every spread feels like a gallery wall brought to page. Because the book was never reprinted, clean, unmarked copies—like this very-good, smoke-free example—are already hard to find and steadily climbing in value among antiquarian dealers.
Set against the backdrop of colonial Australia, the story follows the resilient Ted May on what locals call a “forlorn hope”—a seemingly doomed quest that becomes a metaphor for artistic perseverance. Readers witness frontier hardship, early exhibitions, and the birth of a national art consciousness, all rendered in Morrison’s historically accurate yet warmly human style. The result is both an engaging coming-of-age tale and a pocket-sized exhibition of nineteenth-century Australian art culture, perfect for educators, students, or anyone curating a shelf of visual literature.
This copy arrives with crisp, un-dog-eared pages, no inscriptions, and no lingering smoke odor—ideal for gift-giving or upgrading a collection. Whether you’re hunting for a YA reader who devours illustrated fiction, an adult bibliophile chasing low-print-run Australiana, or an art lover who appreciates museum-quality plates in an affordable paperback format, Ted May and the Forlorn Hope delivers rarity, beauty, and narrative punch in one very-good package.
Refer to our eBay listing for a full condition report and many more high-quality pictures of this item.
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