According to the conventional account, The First Fleet's voyage to Sydney was a shambolic affair: under-prepared, poorly-equipped and ill-disciplined. In The First Fleet: The Real Story, Alan Frost draws on previously forgotten records to debunk these persistent myths.
Frost looks at the ships and supplies, passengers and behind-the-scenes discussions. In the process, he reveals the hopes and schemes of those who planned the voyage. He shows that it was in fact meticulously planned, reflecting its importance to the British government's secret ambitions for imperial expansion.
The Weekend Australian said, "It is almost certain that Frost knows more than anybody else about the early maritime history of [Australia]."