The Peaks of Lyell - hardcover

The Peaks of Lyell was Geoffrey Blainey's first book, based on his University of Melbourne MA thesis and originally published in 1954. It tells the history of the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company, and through it, of Queenstown and Tasmania's West Coast.

At the time, it marked an early shift toward business-specific historical narrative in a field then dominated by political and settlement history — an approach that became a hallmark of Blainey's later, better-known work. The book went through six editions before 2000, an unusual longevity for a company history in Australia, and remains a foundational text on the region.

This copy is the second edition, published in 1959.

See Related Products below for more Tasmanian West Coast mining history — order two or more titles together and we'll combine postage into one parcel.

BOOK DETAILS
Hardcover book (missing dustjacket). 2nd edition, published 1959. 310 pages, indexed.

CONDITION
This is an out-of-print book; it is in USED and worn condition and missing its dustjacket. Cover is worn at the edges, mottled and discoloured. Book is slightly skewed from being shoved in the shelf too tightly. Pages lightly tanned.

DELIVERY & IN-STORE PICKUP

• Combined Shipping: Sourcing multiple titles for your Tasmanian history library? The Book Cellar offers combined flat-rate parcel delivery across Australia. Secure your books using our online checkout, or phone the bookshop directly on 03 6381 1545 to coordinate multi-volume shipping.
• Free Instore Pickup: Located in Tasmania or travelling the Midland Highway? Select "Instore Pickup" at checkout to pay no postage and collect your items directly from the counter at The Book Cellar, underneath Foxhunters Return in Campbell Town.