Gould's Book of Fish: A Novel in Twelve Fish

This tells the story of Billy Gould, a notorious forger and thief who was sentenced to life imprisonment in a penal colony in Van Diemen's Land, now Tasmania. After escaping and boarding a whaler for the Americas, he was eventually re-incarcerated. The prison doctor Lempriere uses Gould's painting talents to create an illustrated taxonomy of the country's exotic sea creatures, which Lempriere believes will secure his place in history and the Royal Society. Gould's book, lost and re-created, destroyed, and hidden, now resurfaces in the present day, filled with scrawls recording his strange life and that of his country, a penal colony, settlement, and magical space populated by generals, visionaries, and madmen. This is a fictionalized account of Gould's life.

This book may contain a sharpie mark on the top or bottom edge and may show mild signs of shelfwear.