{"product_id":"9781761170379","title":"The House of Blue Glass","description":"Author: Alan Atkinson\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 9781761170379\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: NewSouth Publishing\u003cbr\u003eYear first published: 01 Mar 2026\u003cbr\u003ePages: 384\u003cbr\u003eFormat: Paperback \/ softback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eAcclaimed historian Alan Atkinson  author of the award-winning \u003ci\u003eElizabeth and John: The Macarthurs of Elizabeth Farm\u003c\/i\u003e  pieces together the life of Penelope Lucas and the pivotal role she played in building the Macarthur empire. While she is known as the family governess, Atkinson reveals that Penelope was primarily an accountant whose bookkeeping work made an important difference to the Macarthurs' success.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePenelope Lucas came to Australia in 1805, in her thirties, unmarried  she was the first well-educated woman to travel independently from Europe to Australia  and looking forward to living on inherited income. While Elizabeth Macarthur was unsurprisingly upset when her husband, John, arrived back from three years in England with a woman she had never heard of, Penelope went on to live with the Macarthurs for over thirty years and became close friends with Elizabeth.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this revelatory work, Atkinson brings together fifty years of scholarship as he explores the gender dynamics of the Macarthur household and the life of a single woman of means in Georgian England and early colonial Sydney.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A prodigious feat of historical imagination.'  Matthew Allen\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Exquisitely written and meticulously researched.'  Alecia Simmonds\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'As delicately observational as it is learned...Atkinson writes with the lightest touch.'  Alison Bashford\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ships in 10 to 15 days","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46680754782366,"sku":"ADS-9781761170379","price":39.78,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0400\/9043\/5742\/files\/9781761170379.jpg?v=1775545393","url":"https:\/\/classicbargains.com.au\/products\/9781761170379","provider":"Classic Bargains Australia","version":"1.0","type":"link"}