Surveyor Thomas Scott Townsend (18121869) is an elusive, almost legendary figure, closer to folklore than to history. His name is given to the country's second highest mountain, but the details of his career are obscure and his personal identity has remained a mystery.

Yet, if you live in southern New South Wales or Victoria, there is a good chance that your town or district has been influenced by his work: he covered a huge extent of territory and worked furiously hard in a career that spanned two decades.

Townsend of the Ranges is a sensitively told, surprisingly dramatic biography of Townsend's life, from his early days as a junior surveyor in Australia to his time living as a recluse in London before his death. Dr Crowley has engaged in extensive research of primary sources, relying on letters from estranged family members, Townsends employers and Townsend himself to map the story of his life.

Accompanied by original maps drawn by Townsend, this book is a beautifully written portrait of a young man fighting loneliness in the wilderness, mapping the watershed crests of the Dividing Ranges and the contours of south-eastern Australia. The narrative also reveals a picture of destruction and violence as settlers and squatters moved across the land.