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• TRILOGY - Three of Australian author Marcus Clarke's books are bound together in this Kindle trilogy: For The Term of His Natural Life (1875), Australian Tales (1896) and Old Tales of a Young Country (1871)For The Term of His Natural Life (1874) A ripping yarn about convict life in early Australian history and in particular Rufus Dawes, an innocent man convicted of murder. The book conveys the inhumane treatment of convicts and graphically describes the conditions of the convicts. The novel was based on research by the author as well as a visit to a penal settlement in Tasmania. The plot is based on the escape of Alexander Pearce, who ate his companions during two different escape attempts from the Macquarie Harbour Penal Settlement on the West Coast, Tasmania. The book is a series of semi-fictionalised accounts of events during the era, along with the tragic story of its hero. Most of the incidents and many of the individual characters are easily identifiable from historical sources including Marcus Clarke's own non-fiction work Old Tales of a Young Country. Typical of Victorian-era convict novels, Rufus Dawes, is a wrongfully convicted gentleman. Under the prevailing morality of the time, a murderer would have been inappropriate for a hero in popular fiction. Marcus Clarke’s ‘For the Term of His Natural Life’, was published as a novel in 1874 and remains the best-known novelisation of convict life in early Australian history. The fictional story follows the life Rufus Dawes, a young man wrongly transported for murder. Australian Tales (1896)A collection of stories and articles written by Marcus Clarke and released by his widow.Old Tales of a Young Country (1871)A series of fifteen historical tales by Marcus Clarke, was published in 1871.About The Author Australian novelist Marcus Andrew Hislop Clarke (1846 – 1881) was best known for his book "For the Term of His Natural Life." He was born in England and emigrated to Australia. He farmed and wrote stories for the Australian Magazine before working at The Argus in Melbourne. Clarke was the only child of William Hislop Clarke and Amelia Elizabeth née Mathews. In 1862 William was sent to Northumberland House because of a mental breakdown and died there a year later. At age 17 he emigrated to Australia, where his uncle, James Langton Clarke, was a county court judge. He was at first a clerk in the Bank of Australia, but showed no business ability, and soon proceeded to learn farming at a station on the Wimmera River, Victoria. He was already writing stories for the Australian Magazine, when in 1867 he joined the staff of The Argus in Melbourne through the introduction of Dr. Robert Lewins. He briefly visited Tasmania in 1870 at the request of The Argus to experience at first hand the settings of articles he was writing on the convict period. Old Stories Retold began to appear in The Australasian from February. The following month his great novel His Natural Life (later called For the Term of His Natural Life) commenced serialisation in the Australasian Journal. He also became secretary (1872) to the trustees of the Melbourne Athenauem and later (1876) Sub (assistant) Librarian. In 1868 he founded the Yorick Club, which soon numbered among its members the chief Australian men of letters. He also wrote The Peripatetic Philosopher (1869), a series of amusing papers reprinted from The Australasian; Long Odds (London, 1870), a novel; and numerous comedies and pantomimes, the best of which was Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star (Theatre Royal, Melbourne; Christmas, 1873). In 1869 he married the actress Marian Dunn, with whom he had six children.