Stagg of Tarcowie

The Diaries of a Colonial Teenager (1885-1887)

by William Stagg

Edited by Nancy Robinson

Sketches by Jill Francis

Lynton Publications, 1973, [First Edition], ISBN 0869460161, black and white illustrations throughout, black and white photographs, illustrated endpapers, hardcover with illustrated boards, fitted plastic sleeve

Very Good Condition, minor edge and shelf wear, minor rubbing and bumping to edges and corners, fitted plastic sleeve (see photographs)

“When William Stagg began his diaries in 1885, he had never heard of a teenager.  The word had not been coined.  He just may have heard of the term teens, then coming into usage, but if he ever heard the word teenage it would have been used as a noun, with a very different meaning from today’s adjective.  Teenage was ‘the longer wood for making or mending fences’, derived from the provincial English verb to teen, meaning ‘to fence in’.  William knew a great deal about the hard work of fencing and of cutting fencing posts.  He did not know, though, that his daily journal entries would be edited nearly ninety years later, and presented to the world as the Diaries of a Colonial Teenager.
Stagg of Tarcowie shows the daily hopes and disappointments of a young man beset by poverty and harsh conditions.  This book’s charm lies in its simplicity and honesty.  Stagg’s observations on the flora and fauna, the farming methods and the sociological conditions, make it a valuable contribution to our nation’s heritage.”