Focus On Faraday And Beyond: Australian Crime Inside Story
Australian History Local History Biography Non-Fiction True Crime Kidnapping Illustrated Crimiminology
Focus On Faraday And Beyond: Australian Crime Inside Story is the definitive 1992 account of Australia’s most sensational kidnapping case, written by veteran journalist Edwin John Eastwood—the only reporter who secured exclusive, months-long access to the Faraday school siege survivors, detectives and hostage-takers. In this richly illustrated 250-page paperback, Eastwood reconstructs the 1972 daylight abduction of a one-teacher schoolhouse, the 23-day manhunt through Victoria’s high-country bushland, and the courtroom drama that rewrote Australian criminal law. Readers gain an hour-by-hour perspective on how the victims kept hope alive, how police improvised new negotiation tactics, and how the media frenzy shaped public opinion in real time—insights still cited in criminology courses today.
What sets this vintage Coeur De Lion edition apart is its scarcity: the publisher’s small 1992 print-run disappeared from shops within weeks and has never been reprinted, making clean, unmarked copies like this one highly sought after by collectors of Australian true-crime ephemera. The book’s 30 archival photographs—many taken by local townspeople and never reproduced elsewhere—capture the remote Faraday schoolhouse, the ransom drop site, and the faces of children who later became advocates for victims’ rights. Combined with Eastwood’s on-the-ground sketches of the rugged terrain, these images turn the volume into a visual time-capsule of 1970s rural Australia.
For true-crime enthusiasts, local-history buffs, or educators teaching Australian social history, this very-good-condition paperback offers both a gripping narrative and an authoritative reference. Pages are crisp, free of foxing, annotations, or dog-ears, and the binding remains tight after three decades, ensuring it will stand up to repeated reading or display. From a smoke-free home and ready to shelve, this copy delivers the complete, unfiltered inside story that television documentaries and later retellings have never matched—an essential addition to any collection chronicling Australia’s most unforgettable crime.
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