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Ned Kelly: A Short Life
Author Ian Jones, acknowledged Australian Ned Kelly authority, shares with us new material in the text, notes and illustrations, and the updated results of his research in this new edition of the definitive biography of Ned Kelly. This edition includes the complete text of the Jerilderie Letter, edited by Ian Jones with annotations, in its appendices.
429 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
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About the author
Ian Jones
7 books2 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Ian Jones was an Australian Director and writer, best known for his written works on the renowned bushranger Ned Kelly, and his directorial works with Crawford Productions that explored Australia's colonial past.
Ian Jones was an Australian Director and writer, best known for his written works on the renowned bushranger Ned Kelly, and his directorial works with Crawford Productions that explored Australia's colonial past.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
June 8, 2020
Love or loathe what he stood for, believe or disbelieve the crimes he committed... the book is a brilliant read. Perhaps it is a little sympathetic to Ned, and for a person such as myself - who thought Ned got what he deserved - this sympathetic narration did actually make me feel sorry for Ned on certain things. It also made me question whether hanging was the right response for the killings at Stringybark Creek considering the proof was sketchy. He was sentenced for Lonigan's death, but the changing testimony of the Constable who escaped that day, does make it sound like Ned's shooting of Lonigan was defensive. And the other police were perhaps shot by other members of the gang (although one executed to 'put him out of his misery' by Ned perhaps, but no proof of that, so he can't be tried for things that there was no witness for). Which means Ned should not be hanged for them. I would not have come to this conclusion without the indepth research this author has done here.
In the end though, this guy had dismantled the rail line and was about to wreck a train with twenty-one people on board. If he hadn't been stopped, he would have killed those people. This is why I always felt that he deserved to hang. If not for Stringbark, then for the intent to mass murder. He was a 19th century Martin Bryant (Australian mass murderer) who got stopped before he could take lives.
The corrupt way the authorities pinned the charge on Ned for Lonigan was wrong. For Stringybark, I think Ned deserved life not the noose for his crimes once I saw that an unquestionable doubt can be cast upon the reason Lonigan got shot. But I won't change my mind on 'he got what he deserved' because of his evil intent towards that train loaded with people.
Still, I felt incredibly sad by the time the book covered his final morning and subsequent death. The entire story was told in a way to invoke emotion. And it succeeded with me. I was in a conflicted place when I finished. A place of heartbreak for a man who had started out on a deadly and foolish crime spree due to his and his family's mistreatment by police. And a place of utter contempt for a lowdown dirty horse thief who stole from hardworking settlers and squatters, and who plotted what could have been one of the worst 'white' mass murders of Australian history.
In the end though, this guy had dismantled the rail line and was about to wreck a train with twenty-one people on board. If he hadn't been stopped, he would have killed those people. This is why I always felt that he deserved to hang. If not for Stringbark, then for the intent to mass murder. He was a 19th century Martin Bryant (Australian mass murderer) who got stopped before he could take lives.
The corrupt way the authorities pinned the charge on Ned for Lonigan was wrong. For Stringybark, I think Ned deserved life not the noose for his crimes once I saw that an unquestionable doubt can be cast upon the reason Lonigan got shot. But I won't change my mind on 'he got what he deserved' because of his evil intent towards that train loaded with people.
Still, I felt incredibly sad by the time the book covered his final morning and subsequent death. The entire story was told in a way to invoke emotion. And it succeeded with me. I was in a conflicted place when I finished. A place of heartbreak for a man who had started out on a deadly and foolish crime spree due to his and his family's mistreatment by police. And a place of utter contempt for a lowdown dirty horse thief who stole from hardworking settlers and squatters, and who plotted what could have been one of the worst 'white' mass murders of Australian history.
June 6, 2014
I loved this book! It is definitely pro Ned (as someone else pointed out in their review) but to be honest that's what I was expecting. Most Australians know the general story of Ned Kelly but if you want to know more then this is the book to read. Maybe not everyone will agree with what's written. Perhaps the way the police and others are portrayed will not sit well with some and others may think Ned was portrayed too positively, but for me...I loved the full story of Ned Kelly that Ian Jones tells in this book...it's not always nice, and we all know it doesn't end well, but it's never dull or boring!
April 10, 2021
Am now staunchly and unashamedly pro-Ned.
April 15, 2025
A ripping yarn that loses none of its appeal, regardless of age, or the number of readings.
December 14, 2022
Ned Kelly: A Short Life is the definitive biography and a superb description of the harsh colonial times that led to the rebellious actions of early Irish Catholic settlers like the Kelly family.
A bestseller since it was first published, Ned Kelly: A Short Life, has gathered a lot of hate in the last decade from the woke, social justice keyboard warriors, who are plastering government websites with a law enforcement biased view of Ned Kelly, as nothing more than a 'terrorist' and his gang as nothing more than 'murderous thugs'!!?
These revisionists are cherry picking historical documents for their own 'modernised view' on the Kelly Outbreak and are now claiming Ian Jones was a liar who made up a lot of his research for this 'definitive biography' ...
Which stuns and baffles me.
If you read what Ian Jones writes and lays out in this brilliant biography - it is all from historical documents: police reports, witness statements, newspaper articles, letters, diaries and books all written at the time or close after the events. The only abstraction to Ian Jones work is from 'oral stories', which have no documented evidence and theories that have no documented evidence; which can be debatable for sure - but they are not 'lies' ....
As all the historical documents we have on the Kelly Outbreak contain religious prejudice, Class discrimination, bigotry, opinion, exaggeration, hearsay and perjury - it is always going to be hard to find the 'true story' as so much 'unknown mystery' clouds the facts of Ned Kelly's life....
So what is wrong with exploring all the mysteries within the myths surrounding Ned Kelly's life? Maybe there was an agenda to the last stand at the Glenrowan Inn and a political purpose behind the Special Police Train derailment. Maybe there was an attempt at a Eureka Stockade styled rebellion. Maybe there was an army of sympathisers willing to support Ned Kelly and fight for their civil rights. Maybe many in the Victorian Constabulary were incompetent and drove the entire Kelly Outbreak through their intolerant abusive actions. What is wrong with exploring these theoretical topics?
If three people were to read all the historical documented records there are on Ned Kelly's life - they may, all three, have three different perspectives. One might be pro-Kelly, one might be on-the-fence and one might be anti-Kelly .... But for these woke modern revisionists to claim they know the 'true story' of Ned Kelly and ridicule this book, is an insult to Ian Jones lifetime of research and to common sense.
Please read Ian Jones brilliant account of the short life of Ned Kelly before following the woke groupthink consensus!
A bestseller since it was first published, Ned Kelly: A Short Life, has gathered a lot of hate in the last decade from the woke, social justice keyboard warriors, who are plastering government websites with a law enforcement biased view of Ned Kelly, as nothing more than a 'terrorist' and his gang as nothing more than 'murderous thugs'!!?
These revisionists are cherry picking historical documents for their own 'modernised view' on the Kelly Outbreak and are now claiming Ian Jones was a liar who made up a lot of his research for this 'definitive biography' ...
Which stuns and baffles me.
If you read what Ian Jones writes and lays out in this brilliant biography - it is all from historical documents: police reports, witness statements, newspaper articles, letters, diaries and books all written at the time or close after the events. The only abstraction to Ian Jones work is from 'oral stories', which have no documented evidence and theories that have no documented evidence; which can be debatable for sure - but they are not 'lies' ....
As all the historical documents we have on the Kelly Outbreak contain religious prejudice, Class discrimination, bigotry, opinion, exaggeration, hearsay and perjury - it is always going to be hard to find the 'true story' as so much 'unknown mystery' clouds the facts of Ned Kelly's life....
So what is wrong with exploring all the mysteries within the myths surrounding Ned Kelly's life? Maybe there was an agenda to the last stand at the Glenrowan Inn and a political purpose behind the Special Police Train derailment. Maybe there was an attempt at a Eureka Stockade styled rebellion. Maybe there was an army of sympathisers willing to support Ned Kelly and fight for their civil rights. Maybe many in the Victorian Constabulary were incompetent and drove the entire Kelly Outbreak through their intolerant abusive actions. What is wrong with exploring these theoretical topics?
If three people were to read all the historical documented records there are on Ned Kelly's life - they may, all three, have three different perspectives. One might be pro-Kelly, one might be on-the-fence and one might be anti-Kelly .... But for these woke modern revisionists to claim they know the 'true story' of Ned Kelly and ridicule this book, is an insult to Ian Jones lifetime of research and to common sense.
Please read Ian Jones brilliant account of the short life of Ned Kelly before following the woke groupthink consensus!
January 26, 2011
Ian Jones is supposed to be the master of Ned Kelly history, having researched him for over 50 years. This is his last word on the subject, and hence must be seen as the definite biography. Peter Carey it would seem drew closely on this book for his True History of the Kelly Gang, although he made up a different lover for Ned.
Anyway, it's good reading, although rather depressing as the well-known ending draws near. There is a relatively cheery post-mortem, a Royal Commission into the police handling of the affair. Many of the police who hounded the Kelly Gang were demoted or retured, and a sense of public accountability was injected into the police-force for the first time.
Jones also had a hand in the screenplay for the Mick Jagger Ned Kelly film, and a leading role in the ultra true to life mini series The Last Outlaw.
Anyway, it's good reading, although rather depressing as the well-known ending draws near. There is a relatively cheery post-mortem, a Royal Commission into the police handling of the affair. Many of the police who hounded the Kelly Gang were demoted or retured, and a sense of public accountability was injected into the police-force for the first time.
Jones also had a hand in the screenplay for the Mick Jagger Ned Kelly film, and a leading role in the ultra true to life mini series The Last Outlaw.
January 14, 2013
A fanciful book written about a man who seems to be Jones's hero. No evidence of any republic plans by Ned, only talked about by others later. An attempt to make Ned Kelly a demigod. So much in here that comes from people who weren't there at the time. I struggled.
March 7, 2014
Too pro Ned. Police portrayed as incompetent, power-crazy control freaks. Neds violence is always justified.
July 8, 2014
Quiet pro Kelly but otherwise a well written and important story.
March 11, 2017
Best book I have read on old Ned.Even some McAuliffe`s turn up in it.
September 26, 2020
Basically one of the best Ned Kelly books I have read. Very informative and easily read.
May 8, 2020
Yes, it took me forever to read this book. The author certainly did his research. Therein lies the problem. The minutiae he puts in weighs down the more interesting facts. I did not need to know every type of weapon carried by every member of the Kelly gang and the many policemen who went looking for them. Nor did I need to know what people were wearing at any given moment or what they ate for supper on a certain day. This got me wondering how much details the papers of the time reported because quite a bit of it was superfluous.
The main history of Ned Kelly's life was quite compelling and although the author seemed to skew his book to a more pro-Ned bent it still offered a comprehensive view of the incidents in the life of Kelly that caused him to become a bushranger as well as some background as to the way settlers were living back in the late 1800s and how law enforcement was operating.
The main history of Ned Kelly's life was quite compelling and although the author seemed to skew his book to a more pro-Ned bent it still offered a comprehensive view of the incidents in the life of Kelly that caused him to become a bushranger as well as some background as to the way settlers were living back in the late 1800s and how law enforcement was operating.
January 1, 2018
Fantastic biography of Ned Kelly! I only read the chapters relating to parts of his life that I was interested in after finishing the True History of the Kelly Gang, as this book was directly mentioned in the acknowledgements as a key resource for Carey while writing.
July 26, 2025
This man in a legend in Australia. He was a killer, cold hearted man that shot police for fun. Or was he a man persecuted by the system that made him? Or something completely different. A great read that really brings him to life
August 22, 2019
A good book for people who are interested in the Kelly story. Written with a bit of a pro Kelly bias, but that was ok with me.
March 5, 2024
Really enjoyed the detail about his life.
June 3, 2024
Prettu comprehensive. A little forgiving of his behaviour in my eyes!
March 24, 2023
Author, Ian Jones has pulled together an excellent portrait of the man behind the mask, Ned Kelly. My particular interest in this book was my distant family connection to our most loved outlaw, and I enjoyed learning about their part in Ned's story. Highly recommend.
Want to read
October 23, 2022Sadly one could only suggest that this book is a work of fiction. Well written and an easy but long read, but it lauds a very serious criminal from beginning to end.
Ned Kelly was a prolific liar, which is acknowledged on several occasions in this book, but on all occasions Ned Kelly's words are taken as gospel and the writing reflects that falsehood.
The police are consistently degraded, with not a shred of any serious evidence to support the statements that ALL police perjured themselves in every court appearance against the Kelly's.
The two serious incidents with police involved were at the Kelly home with Const. Fitzpatrick, who told the truth, and that was even confirmed by Ned Kelly himself after he was captured. Jones would have know this, but continued with the myth that Fitzpatrick did indeed try to rape Kate Kelly. Kate Kelly made up that story some 10 months after the alleged event.
At Stringybark Creek Ned Kelly's version of events was taken as gospel and Constable McIntyre's statements and the evidence he gave at the murder trial are dismissed as perjury. In fact Kelly murdered both Lonigan and Scanlan without either officer having any chance to defend themselves. He also blasted Sgt Kennedy in the chest with a shotgun at point blank range killing him instantly while he lay defenceless on the ground, seriously wounded.
Having an intricate knowledge of the Kelly era, I could not recommend this book in any way shape or form.
There are over 300 factual errors in this book, and sadly, if you want to know the truth this is not a book to read.
Ned Kelly was a prolific liar, which is acknowledged on several occasions in this book, but on all occasions Ned Kelly's words are taken as gospel and the writing reflects that falsehood.
The police are consistently degraded, with not a shred of any serious evidence to support the statements that ALL police perjured themselves in every court appearance against the Kelly's.
The two serious incidents with police involved were at the Kelly home with Const. Fitzpatrick, who told the truth, and that was even confirmed by Ned Kelly himself after he was captured. Jones would have know this, but continued with the myth that Fitzpatrick did indeed try to rape Kate Kelly. Kate Kelly made up that story some 10 months after the alleged event.
At Stringybark Creek Ned Kelly's version of events was taken as gospel and Constable McIntyre's statements and the evidence he gave at the murder trial are dismissed as perjury. In fact Kelly murdered both Lonigan and Scanlan without either officer having any chance to defend themselves. He also blasted Sgt Kennedy in the chest with a shotgun at point blank range killing him instantly while he lay defenceless on the ground, seriously wounded.
Having an intricate knowledge of the Kelly era, I could not recommend this book in any way shape or form.
There are over 300 factual errors in this book, and sadly, if you want to know the truth this is not a book to read.
August 7, 2011
I was very interested in Ned Kelly especially because I was living in Jerilderie.
January 6, 2014
Very interesting insight into the life of Ned Kelly
June 22, 2015
It is difficult to rate this book. If looking for an easy reading story on bushrangers it would be difficult to complete. However as a text book it is first class with incredible detail.
October 18, 2016
A definitive look at Ned's life, legend and everything that shaped his destiny to be a revered/ reveilled figure in Australian history.
April 1, 2017
Well written history and great research
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews