A Male Historical Author from Tasmania

This post is for Wad in Western Australian of Australian Legend who is encouraging us to discuss male Australian authors of the past.

I’m not familiar with too many Tasmanian authors of the past but I had fun researching them. The one I found to be interesting is Royal Tasman Bridges.

I was attracted to that name so I had to look into him. He was a very prolific author but there doesn’t seem to be a lot of information out there. So for fun I asked Mr. GPT app and he gave me the following. He went by a more common name of Roy Bridges.

Roy Bridges (1885–1952) was an Australian journalist and novelist, recognized as Tasmania’s most prolific author. Born Royal Tasman Bridges in Hobart on March 23, 1885, he was the son of Samuel Bridges, a basketmaker, and Laura Jane Bridges (née Wood), descendants of Tasmanian pioneers. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Tasmania in 1905. 

Bridges began his journalism career in 1904 as a cadet with the Tasmanian News. He later worked for The Mercury in Hobart, the Australian Star in Sydney, and the Age in Melbourne, where he advanced to chief parliamentary reporter. In 1911, he was a founding member of the Australian Journalists’ Association. 

Over a span of 41 years, Bridges authored 36 novels, many exploring themes of romance, convictism, bushranging, and historical tales of colonial settlement. His works often delved into Tasmania’s convict past and its societal impacts. Notable novels include The Barb of an Arrow (1909), On His Majesty’s Service: A Tale of Van Diemen’s Land (1914), and The Fenceless Ranges (1921). 

In 1930, Bridges returned to Tasmania with his sister, Hilda Bridges, also a writer, to their family property near Sorell. There, he continued to write until his death in Hobart on March 14, 1952. His autobiography, That Yesterday Was Home, published in 1948, offers insights into his life and family history. 

Bridges’ contributions provide a significant literary record of Tasmania’s history and culture during the early colonial period.

After reading what I could find about Tasmania’s most prolific author of the past I decided to look for one of his books. Nowhere to be found. There were one or two on Abebooks,com but ridiculously priced and all overseas. Then one popped up for $15.00 in a local antique store. I contacted the owner and picked it up a few days later.

The League of the Lord is an old, first edition hardback book published by Australasian Publishing Co in 1950.

“The League of the Lord” is a novel by Roy Bridges, published in 1950. Set during the convict era in Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania), the story delves into themes of religious intolerance and the moral complexities of the penal system. Bridges often explored how the convict system impacted free society and the psychological effects on individuals. His works are known for their intelligent and iconoclastic approach to historical fiction. (GPT chat)

I doubt I will read it as the lines of text are very close together and it has very small print. At 358 pages I think it is too much for my eyes. Instead I will put it on the shaded bookshelf in the hallway where I keep my more collectable books.

I really enjoyed doing the research for this author and seeing how many of his books I could find online.

I also found a very interesting page of information with photos of him and his sister here from the Inside Story publication. The article alludes to his homosexuality without coming out directly. Men were hung in the 1800s for sodomy.

Have any of you Australian bookish friends have additional information? Thanks Wad for motivating me to learn about an Aussie author of the past.