The Marvellous Funambulist of Middle Harbour and Other Sydney Firsts

(Hardback)

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Age range 69 years

This is a story of Sydney
In order of who did what first:
The incidents, places and people,
All illustrated and versed.

Who first pulled a tooth using ether
What started the first pistol fight
When were the first Chinese tea rooms
Where was the first traffic light

Through a series of (unexpected) 'firsts', Hilary Bell and Matthew Martin trace the events, people and places that have shaped their city, however unintentionally. Where else will you find Sydney's first traffic light sharing pages with its first tightrope walk across Middle Harbour (And just so you know, it was performed by the marvellous funambulist Henri L'Estrange in 1877.)

Author Bio

Hilary Bell is the author of Alphabetical Sydney and ,em>Numerical Street. She is an award-winning playwright, and her plays have been performed, published and translated around the world.

Matthew Martin is a cartoonist whose work has appeared in the New Yorker, Time, Rolling Stone, the Village Voice, the New York Times, The Times in London and the Sydney Morning Herald.