Lure of the Thylacine: Legendary Tales of the Tasmanian Tiger
Australian History Natural History Biography & Memoir Field Guides Wildlife Conservation Cryptozoology Adventure & Exploration
Col Bailey’s Lure of the Thylacine: Legendary Tales of the Tasmanian Tiger is the essential collector’s guide to Australia’s most famous lost predator. First released in 2016, this 294-page illustrated paperback distils four decades of the author’s field diaries, eyewitness interviews and historical sleuthing into a single, easy-to-navigate reference that satisfies both curious teens and lifelong thylacine devotees. Every chapter pairs rare photographs, newspaper clippings and Bailey’s own sketches with first-hand accounts of sightings, hunts and bush lore, turning what could have been dry reportage into a vivid, campfire-style narrative that keeps you turning pages long after you found the “fact” you came for.
Unlike academic monographs that dwell on genetics or politics, Bailey focuses on the human side of the story: trappers who swore they saw a stripy shadow on the Arthur River, farmers who left native-thylacine “baits” in the 1930s, and modern hikers who still report dog-like prints in remote southwestern Tasmania. The result is a geographic and emotional map of the tiger’s last strongholds, from the button-grass plains of the Franklin-Gordon wilds to the old snaring huts of the Jane River. Readers come away knowing exactly where to look, what to listen for, and why each new claimed sighting reignites hope that the species might—against all odds—still be out there.
Because the book is printed on quality stock and copiously illustrated, it doubles as a coffee-table conversation starter and a serious field reference. This particular copy is in very good condition—clean, tight, and from a smoke-free home—so the maps, timelines and photo plates remain crisp for repeated browsing or for lending to the next generation of Aussie wildlife enthusiasts. For anyone assembling an Australiana library, planning a Tasmanian holiday, or simply hunting that perfect gift for the natural-history buff who “has everything,” Lure of the Thylacine is a scarce, sought-after title that rarely stays listed for long.
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