Ned Kelly: A short life

This book is not so much about the history of Ned Kelly as it is about the authors love for Ned Kelly. It comes across as almost childishly naive in that only Kelly's account of each incident is to believed. All others, victims, witnesses, police and courts are lying and conspiring against Kelly. The fact that Kelly was a horse thief from childhood, an armed highway robber at 15, robbed from his neighbours and murdered policemen sent to arrest him, is no reason, according to the author, to doubt his honesty and integrity. Many news reports from the time condemned the crimes, but only those excusing or describing Kelly as a fine looking man are included by the author. I give it two stars for the research but cannot recommend it due to the one- sided presentation of that research.

Amazing story, meticulously researched and wonderfully told. History at its best and most literary - Ned Kelly's voice is clearly heard through Ian Jones' writing. Cannot recommend highly enough.

The most detailed and thoroughly researched account of the life of Ned Kelly and those in his orbit. The author has, without artistic licence, laid out the facts (and where facts are elusive, the likeliest probabilities) into a narrative that would best the most beloved Hollywood stories blush with inadeqaucy. Fact is stranger than fiction rings true with the scale of this very true, very real and very divisive tale of Australia's most infamous outlaw and his fight against police persecution.