Extract from Foreword by Professor Stephen Garton, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, University of Sydney

‘Alexander Macleay was a controversial and important figure … Until now … there has been no comprehensive account of his life and work …

The breadth and depth of his activities were extraordinary and his impact very evident in the numerous streets, lakes, rivers and islands that bear the Macleay name. His stately colonial mansion Elizabeth Bay House is now a vital part of Sydney’s modern heritage industry and his name borne by a major history museum at the University of Sydney.’