MONA has done a lot more than just rescue a flagging tourism economy. It has changed the city's body language, teaching it to stand up straight and look others squarely in the eye, even putting on a swagger in its step.
From Hobart's convict legacy, its spectacular natural setting, heritage architecture and climate, to crime rates, economic hardship and new developments, not to mention the game-changer that is MONA, Timms brings a wealth of fresh insights, exploring the city with a mixture of affection, admiration, frustration and sadness. He interviews a wide range of residents along the way — many of whom, given the weather, might be found in Gore-Tex and beanies.
Those who have experienced Hobart as tourists will be surprised and intrigued by the complex society and history this book reveals. Those who live here will surely discover their city anew, propelled by the author's fondness for it.
Now with a new introduction where Tims reflects on what has been nothing short of a tourism-driven revolution since Hobart was first published in 2009.
'…exudes a discriminating fondness for the city…' — Sydney Morning Herald
'…sometimes it takes an outsider to skewer a city more accurately than someone with a lifetime of familiarity with it. I simply couldn't put it down.' — Leo Schofield
'Three years ago, in 2009, Peter Timms published In Search of Hobart. Now his musings and reflections about Australia's oldest city, one where sedate Georgian elegance has been beautifully if inadvertently preserved, have been reconsidered, reappraised and updated. They fit tidily and aptly into what is now a consistently charming, intellectually consequent series on Australia's capitals.' — Mark Thomas, The Canberra Times
