Ned Kelly: The Story of Australia's Most Notorious Legend

by Peter FitzSimons

Love him or loathe him, Ned Kelly has been at the heart of Australian culture and identity since he and his gang were tracked down in bushland by the Victorian police and came out fighting, dressed in bulletproof iron armor made from farmers' ploughs. Historians still disagree over virtually every aspect of the eldest Kelly boy's brushes with the law. Did he or did he not shoot Constable Fitzpatrick at their family home? Was he a lawless thug or a noble Robin Hood, a remorseless killer or a crusader against oppression and discrimination? Was he even a political revolutionary, an Australian republican channeling the spirit of Eureka? Peter FitzSimons, bestselling chronicler of many of the great defining moments and people of the Australia's history, is the perfect person to tell this most iconic of all Australian stories, from Kelly's early days in Beveridge, Victoria, in the mid-1800s, to the Felons' Apprehension Act, which made it possible for anyone to shoot the Kelly gang, to Ned's appearance in his now-famous armor, prompting the shocked and bewildered police to exclaim "He is the devil!" ove him or loathe him, has been at the heart of Australian culture and identity since he and his gang were tracked down in bushland by the Victorian police and came out fighting, dressed in bulletproof iron armour made from farmers' ploughs. History comes to life with Peter Fitzsimons.

Historians still disagree over virtually every aspect of the eldest Kelly boy's brushes with the law. Did he or did he not shoot Constable Fitzpatrick at their family home? Was he a lawless thug or a noble Robin Hood, a remorseless killer or a crusader against oppression and discrimination? Was he even a political revolutionary, an Australian republican channelling the spirit of Eureka?

Peter FitzSimons, bestselling chronicler of many of the great defining moments and people of this nation's history, is the perfect person to tell this most iconic of all Australian stories. From Kelly's early days in Beveridge, Victoria, in the mid-1800s, to the Felons' Apprehension Act , which made it possible for anyone to shoot the Kelly gang, to Ned's appearance in his now-famous armour, prompting the shocked and bewildered police to exclaim ‘He is the devil!' and ‘He is the bunyip!', FitzSimons brings the history of and his gang exuberantly to life, weighing in on all of the myths, legends and controversies generated by this compelling and divisive Irish-Australian rebel. - See more him or loathe him, Ned Kelly has been at the heart of Australian culture and identity since he and his gang were tracked down in bushland by the Victorian police and came out fighting, dressed in bulletproof iron armour made from farmers' ploughs. History comes to life with Peter Fitzsimons. - See more Love him or loathe him, has been at the heart of Australian culture and identity since he and his gang were tracked down in bushland by the Victorian police and came out fighting, dressed in bulletproof iron armour made from farmers' ploughs. History comes to life with Peter Fitzsimons.

Historians still disagree over virtually every aspect of the eldest Kelly boy's brushes with the law. Did he or did he not shoot Constable Fitzpatrick at their family home? Was he a lawless thug or a noble Robin Hood, a remorseless killer or a crusader against oppression and discrimination? Was he even a political revolutionary, an Australian republican channelling the spirit of Eureka?

Peter FitzSimons, bestselling chronicler of many of the great defining moments and people of this nation's history, is the perfect person to tell this most iconic of all Australian stories. From Kelly's early days in Beveridge, Victoria, in the mid-1800s, to the Felons' Apprehension Act , which made it possible for anyone to shoot the Kelly gang, to Ned's appearance in his now-famous armour, prompting the shocked and bewildered police to exclaim ‘He is the devil!' and ‘He is the bunyip!', FitzSimons brings the history of and his gang exuberantly to life, weighing in on all of the myths, legends and controversies generated by this compelling and divisive Irish-Australian rebel. - See more Love him or loathe him, has been at the heart of Australian culture and identity since he and his gang were tracked down in bushland by the Victorian police and came out fighting, dressed in bulletproof iron armour made from farmers' ploughs. History comes to life with Peter Fitzsimons.

Historians still disagree over virtually every aspect of the eldest Kelly boy's brushes with the law. Did he or did he not shoot Constable Fitzpatrick at their family home? Was he a lawless thug or a noble Robin Hood, a remorseless killer or a crusader against oppression and discrimination? Was he even a political revolutionary, an Australian republican channelling the spirit of Eureka?

Peter FitzSimons, bestselling chronicler of many of the great defining moments and people of this nation's history, is the perfect person to tel...

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Australia, Audiobook, Biography Memoir, True Crime

800 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Peter FitzSimons is one of Australia’s most prominent and successful media and publishing identities. His busy professional life involves co-hosting the breakfast program on Sydney's Radio 2UE, writing weekly columns for the Sydney Morning Herald and Sun Herald newspapers, appearing on Foxtel's Back Page television show and, when time permits, authoring best-selling books. A correspondent for London's Daily Telegraph as well, he is also in high demand as a guest speaker and presenter

Reviews

[Adrielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This epic mammoth took me over a month to read and was well worth every minute of it. I love Australian history, particularly that based on and around bush settlement in the 1800s. My favourite Australian novel is 'Robbery Under Arms' so it makes sense that Ned Kelly fascinates me. I'm of the same persuasion as Fitzsimons, "If in another environment, he really would have made a first-class soldier, if not officer ... If not General. He was born to a sea of troubles, and really did take arms against them. And horses. And whole towns."

Spectacularly researched and written I would recommend this to anyone and everyone. My favourite read of 2016.

[Wayne's · Rating 1 out of 5]

It may well be unAustralian to say it but I have never understood the Ned Kelly mythos. Yes he was treated badly and unjustly and like so many of that day were oppressed because of his race, religion and circumstances. There is no doubt he was a murderer and thief. In fact an intelligent man who chose to commit crime for personal gain.

This book goes into an enormous amount of anecdotal detail about the life of Ned Kelly. At around 300 pages it would be a good read at over 600 pages it is tedious. If you can't get enough about Ned Kelly and maybe see him as a bit of a larrkin then this book will be for you. For anyone else I would say it is just too long with too much detail most of which adds nothing to the story.

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are mixed reviews for this book, some saying it's fantastic and others saying it's not thoroughly researched. But for what Peter FitzSimons has written, I cannot fault it. There's probably not much information about where the Kelly Gang were, what they were doing each day etc, so that side of the story is as you'd expect lacking. Which is totally understandable, especially considering the Kelly Gang's relatively quick rise and fall, noting the entire gang was killed or died before any questioning could occur. What is well documented (I think) are the actions of the government, police and members of the public around the events that shaped Ned Kelly's life.

For me, this book has just the right amount of information, chronologically presented, that tells the reader who Ned Kelly was, why Ned Kelly became so famous as an outlaw and how it was he got caught and eventually convicted in the courts. Sure, it's a long book, but I hung on to every word and situation described and am absolutely fascinated by the life of the outlawed (and then not outlawed) Kelly Gang.

Thanks Peter FitzSimons, another gem.

[Brad Williams]

Sadly Peter FitzSimons follows closely the mythological nonsense that proliferates regarding Ned Kelly and his family. His book just repeats the myths that Ian Jones wrote in his Kelly book, Ned Kelly, A Short Life.
There are numerous errors of fact that reflect a poorly researched effort on the authors part.
FitzSimons claims that Ned Kelly was persecuted by the police. The Royal Commission found that the police acted properly in regards to the Kelly Family. It should be noted that the Royal Commission members were mostly anti-police members of parliament.
The author also casts some doubt on Kelly shooting Constable Fitzpatrick. Ned Kelly himself admitted to sho0ting the officer after he was captured. He also claims that Kate Kelly was sexually abused. Ned Kelly stated that was untrue, and in fact Kate Kelly made up that nonsense some 10 months after the event.
The murders at Stringybark Creek relate ver batum how Ned Kelly described the incident claiming self-defence. The lone police survivor who gave evidence at Ned Kelly's murder trail gave clear and concise evidence that was accepted by the jury and showed that all three officers were murdered in cold blood by Ned Kelly.
I could go on and on. This book is a disgrace in lauding a very serious criminal and degrading police and government where ever he can. The factual errors in this book, and the hidden true nature of Kelly, which must be known to the author degrades it to a point that it is not worth reading.

[Troy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really couldn't get through this turgid piece of crap. I have never seen anyone mutilate a sentence like Fitzsimons. His repetitions are tedious, his fatuous assessments of his subject show a poor grasp of history at best.
His popularity as a writer is just unfathomable.

[Michael Whyte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, a must read for anyone who likes Australian history.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my god, this took me so long to get through, but thanks for getting me through work, Ned Kelly. Great read about a true Australian outlaw. Would've loved to meet him. Sounds like many a friend of mine--would have lustily shouted "ACAB" with the best of 'em.

[Lachlan Dunnicliff · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a menace old Edward was

[Georgia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was long but really good. It is extremely factional and talks about his life from childhood to his death. I really liked how in the epilogue the author wrote about what happened to the police involved and Ned Kelly’s family and how they passed away.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Australian journalist and frequent writer of books so thick they could be used as weapons, Peter Fitzsimons, turns his attention to Australia's "most notorious legend" and icon, the infamous bushranger Edward 'Ned' Kelly.

Confronted by a whopping 800+ pages, I did wonder what Peter Fitzsimons had found to say about Kelly that hadn't already been said before by other authors in about half the page count. My father has read a few of Fitzsimons's earlier books and had gone cold on him, which meant I looked at Ned Kelly somewhat nervously.

Surprisingly, I didn't mind it as much as I thought I would. In fact, I enjoyed it.

As expected from such a prolific, popular author, Fitzsimons's account is a popular history, with the retelling of the Kelly story frequently infused with Fitzsimons injecting a bit of fiction and reconstructions to liven things up, to keep things interesting. To be honest, I'm always wary about the use of fiction in non-fiction accounts, but Fitzsimons' embellishments do make for a ripping yarn, allowing for all in involved to feel a bit more human and real. It also helps that the fictional elements aren't too presumptive – he doesn't turn to fiction to explain the mysterious deaths of two of the Kelly Gang or engages in wholesale inventions of scenes and conversations.

While Fitzsimons doesn't really deliver anything completely new to the table in terms of Kelly himself, I found that Fitzsimons gives a broader overview of the Kelly Outbreak than I've found in previously read books about the Kellys. Fitzsimons's approach covers the Kelly Gang themselves, the police efforts to capture them, rumours and everything in between. It invokes an almost claustrophobic image of the forces coming to bear down upon the gang – certainly a vivid impression.

There were occasional moments where I didn't like Fitzsimons's approach – the writing felt a bit strained, a bit forced. There was the obsession with Constable Thomas McIntyre's decision to take shelter down a wombat hole – every time he was mentioned, we had some variation of "why did he mention the wombat hole?" I also wasn't too fond of the play with fonts – in some ways it was fun, but some of the front choices made the text difficult to read.

Altogether, though, Peter Fitzsimons's Ned Kelly was an enjoyable read, sometimes fun, sometimes thought-provoking. There wasn't, I felt, anything particularly remarkable about it, but definitely worth the read and definitely not a bad one.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detailed and well researched book. It has inspired me to want to visit many of the sites in Victoria made famous by the Kelly gang such as Stringybark Creek, Glenrowan, and Benalla.

Before reading this book my knowledge of Kelly had been limited to his gang's last stand at Glenrowan where they wore their famous armour. However I didn't realise that his plan had been to lure a train full of police and Indigenous trackers through the town so he that could derail it and shoot anyone who didn't survive the crash.

How times have changed, during the final stages of the siege the police ordered an artillery cannon from Melbourne so that they could blow up the remaining members of the gang still inside the Glenrowan Inn. This is despite the fact that the gang were still holding some local townspeople hostage with them. The police later decided to burn it down instead.

One of my favourite smaller details from the book was that Kelly - the outlaw, bank robber and murderer - was found to be wearing a sash under his armour that he had been awarded when he was 11 years for saving a drowning boy. This sash still exists today in a Victorian museum.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a WONDERFUL book.
My second Peter Fitzsimons book that I've read and he is a phenomenal writer.
The story of Ned Kelly is a fascination of mine and to have the history of him, his life, and his gang, written in such an engaging and engrossing way is just perfect.
I'm keen to read as many Peter Fitzsimons books as I can get my hands on now - good thing I was gifted several and the library has a bunch as well.
I also have several more books about Ned and the Kelly Gang to dive into as well.
Happy Day!!

[Damien Power · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like all Fitzsimons books you get to know the character and personality of each of the key players. He puts an incredibly human touch to history and in a way that you never forget. I also learnt a lot when I did not expect to, not just about the events but the political and socioeconomic divides that were the catalysts for the ultimately tragic outcome. One of his better books. I still think his best was Batavia.

[Craig Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm enjoying all of Peter FitzSimons' Australian histories. Not necessarily the best writing, but he constructs a great story and gives it an interesting perspective, like you're there at the events as they happen.

[Ned Lipes · Rating 1 out of 5]

It’s a comprehensive as you can want for the subject, but just way too much. The author wants you to know every family in the area before you can truly know Ned Kelly. I can appreciate the amount of work that went into it, but the story itself is incredibly slow with only 2 really exciting points

[Nancy Ekstrum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing

It seemed to take me forever to read this book but glad I did! The story of Ned Kelly, his family and his bushrangers has had a lasting presence in Australian history.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic read.

[Cathy Hunter · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is clearly a lot of research gone into this book, there are 70 pages of citations to back up so much that it contains. I know the story, I've visited Glenrowan and Melbourne Gaol but this book puts everything into a much clearer perspective.

Ned was clearly not innocent, but he also not the evil man he is sometimes painted. The truth is so much bigger and more painful than a visit to now tourist attractions can ever convey.

I wanted to love this book but the sheer size of it and the language used made it a bit of a chore to finish. Written in the language used in the late 1800's I found I had to concentrate a little too much on the words and the meaning became lost. So for the first third of the book I struggled along but I'm sure I missed a lot. By half way through I was starting to get used to the writing and by this time the story was approaching common ground for me which made it so much easier. By the end I barely noticed the language.

Even knowing the ending you can't help hoping for a different one, you find yourself hoping something would change. Peter FitzSimons has done a great job of potraying Ned in the way I believe his many supporters saw him, for all his fault he only ever wanted to do right by his family. Unfortunately he was forced down a path that led to a tragically short life.

I'm glad I battled through to the end, I've filled in the gaps of the Ned Kelly story as I knew it. While there are many differing views about his life, I'm happy to remember the one told in his book and remember Ned as a young man doing the best he could in the circumstances that he was forced into.

[David Aiken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely thorough, FitzSimons makes a good attempt to elucidate fact from fiction of the Kelly Gang myth, which has deeply penetrated Australian folklore. I, personally, can't help but be drawn to the character of Ned as painted in this book. The accounts of life in Victoria in the late 19th century was also quite interesting. It sounded like there was an abundance of opportunity if you were an Englishman, while in contrast, you were perpetually pushing shit up hill if you were an Irishman, and this is paramount in understanding why Irish selectors like the Kelly family turned to a life on the wrong side of the law.

[Brad · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a (fine) line between making sure you cover all the information, and overkill. This tome (848p) covers pretty much every aspect of Ned Kelly's short life. It is very thorough and you can see how the Kelly family lost their faith in justice from the government, and decided they would just have to live outside the law. With the obvious tragic ending. Although this book was very interesting, there were plenty of times I felt like yelling "HURRY UP! And get to the point!!"
Overall a good read, but a bit wordy.

[Tash Carland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Certainly took a long time to read, but very well worth it! Not just a look into Ned Kelly’s life but also each character in his story; the outlaws, police, government and towns people. This story is well written in the way of the old times. I also listened to parts of the audiobook, that the actor spoke in a way that made me feel I was there witnessing it myself. Other historical facts such as the Eureka Stockade mentioned along the way. I highly recommend this book to anyone with the love of true crime and Australian history.

[Chiro Pipashito T H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good reading about the life of Ned Kelly, how he was persecuted by police and became an outlaw. The story of Ned Kelly runs parallel to the story of Australia as a new country itself. The author showed a surprising restraint while depicting the life of Ned Kelly, not being carried away with his own opinions or judgments. He gave the readers the opportunity to make their own conclusions whether Ned was a good man or a bad man, to quote the author word for word.

[Marysg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read. Thoroughly researched. I did not know about Ned Kelly and his significance to Australian history. This work shed light not only on Ned Kelly but the life of the people living in Victoria in the 1800's .

[Chris Andrews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great info - seems to have been really well researched.

Despite that, I kept putting it aside and had to force myself to finish it because the author wrote as if he was actually present amongst the action and knew what people were doing, thinking, and feeling, like it was fiction.

[Steve Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit long winded at times, lots of liberty taken with private conversations & character development. Definitely favours Ned but it's still a good read. I almost feel like reading another author to compare notes but it was a long book so I need to switch genres first :)

[st4r · Rating 5 out of 5]

Younger me absolutely adored this book, it kept me going the entire of year five. It covers so much information so perfectly and gives you so many details on even the small things that led up to the everything in the later years of Ned Kelly’s life. I highly recommend it for anyone interested :3

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read .... refreshed my memory

[Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting but repetitive. A decent editor probably could have shaved 200 pages off easily, it became tedious which is not enjoyable.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great tale and so detailed that despite it all took place ages ago resonates so much still.

[JR Paterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written book immersing me in the times. The third book I've read by Peter FitzSimons and all great.