The Getting of Wisdom: Text Classics

The Getting of Wisdom is the classic Australian novel of school days, a compelling and frank account of a young girl's coming of age.

The Getting of Wisdom was first published in 1910 and has continued to sell well. Germaine Greer's introduction, of course, makes this edition even more appealing to the reader.

'Sexual tension tightens every page' writes Germaine Greer. 'The enduring truth is that The Getting of Wisdom is Richardson's only great book, precisely because the subject is, like the rest of us, ordinary, and therefore deeply important.'

Henry Handel Richardson was born in Melbourne in 1870. Richardson was sent to board at the Presbyterian Ladies College in 1883, an experience that provided material for her novel The Getting of Wisdom. In 1888, she travelled to Europe, married and settled in London. Richardson published her first novel, Maurice Guest, in 1908. She made her only journey back to Australia in 1912 to complete her research for the trilogy that would become The Fortunes of Richard Mahony. Her final novel The Young Cosima appeared in 1939.

Germaine Greer is a well-known feminist and writer. Her books include The Female Eunuch, Daddy, We Hardly Knew You, The Change, The Obstacle Race and The Boy. She is professor of English and comparative studies at Warwick University, England.

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'I have been reading your Getting of Wisdom with enormous admiration...Your little rag of a girl is a most adorable little beast.' H.G. Wells, letter to Henry Handel Richardson

'Truly a great book.' Canberra Times

'I read my first Henry Handel Richardson novel [this year], The Getting of Wisdom, and, whether by design or sheer accident, felt like I had hitherto been robbed of experiencing one of the best Australian women writers.' Favourite Feminist Reads of 2016, Feminist Writers Festival

'A gorgeous coming-of-age story that is both charming and deeply moving.' Guardian

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