The Dunera Affair: A Documentary Resource Book
Australian History World War II Military History Holocaust Studies Jewish Studies Civil Rights Refugee Studies Primary Source Anthology
The Dunera Affair: A Documentary Resource Book is the gold-standard teaching collection for anyone studying one of World War II’s most startling civil-rights episodes. In 1940 Britain deported 2,000 “enemy aliens”—most of them Jewish refugees—to Australia aboard the HMT Dunera, only for the men to endure months of harsh internment at Hay and Tatura. Compiled by historians Paul R. Bartrop and Gabrielle Eisen, this 1990 paperback gathers rare government cables, camp newspapers, personal diaries, court transcripts and photographs into one chronological file that lets students, teachers and family historians see the crisis unfold through the eyes of both prisoners and officials.
What makes this copy especially appealing is its classroom-ready condition: the binding is still tight, pages are crisp and unmarked, and there are no dog-eared corners to worry about when photocopying key documents for seminar use. A previous owner’s neat inscription on the front endpaper and a tiny edge-tear on the foreword page are the only signs of earlier use—light cosmetic touches that do not interfere with readability or resale value. The 336-page softback is light enough to slip into a satchel yet sturdy enough for repeated reference.
Because the title has never been reprinted, clean copies of the first (and only) edition are increasingly scarce. Teachers love the ready-made source kits; genealogists prize the complete nominal roll of internees; collectors of Australian or Jewish wartime history chase it for the unmatched primary material. This personalised, gently-used copy delivers all of that research power at a fraction of the collector price, making it the smartest, most affordable entry point into a story that still resonates in debates on refugee policy and civil liberties today.
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