Author: CLARKE, MICHAEL.
Title: 'Big' Clarke.
Description: Deluxe Limited Edition; Lge. 8vo; pp. xv, 284; 2 colour, numerous b/w illustrations, 2 maps; portrait frontispiece; full decorated leather binding with portrait on boards; appendices, bibliography, index; .This edition is no. 2 out of 200 copies. Authors signature on title page. fine copy. (Carlton), Queensbury Hills Press, 1980. Known generally as 'Big' Clarke and 'Moneyed' Clarke, he was widely known for his land hunger. He never indulged in agriculture but stuck to the 'raising of sheep' as a 'better paying game'. He introduced the Leicester breed of sheep into Australia. The gold rush further increased his prosperity and meat sales boomed. Money received from his wool clips he lent at high interest to Australian import houses. In time he acquired the reputation of being the richest man in Australia, this being regarded as a consequence of what his obituaries term 'parsimonious habits'. He was such a large man that 8 people were needed to carry him around on a reinforced Eucalypt pine/oak litter.

Keywords: History of Historical Victorian-Australian Figure.