The road that led to the inauguration of the Australian nation in Centennial Park, Sydney, on 1 January 1901 was by no means smooth travelling. Alfred Deakin later noted that Federation 'must always appear to have been secured by a series of miracles'. These 'miracles' needed committed Australians to make them happen. But many individuals who helped to write the Federation story have long been forgotten. Who were these movers and shakers? What were their hopes for the fledgling nation? Our founders were an eclectic bunch of characters, with their own ambitions, dreams and foibles; from the substantial Reid who liked to offer his seat on the tram to not one but two ladies, to the cunning orator Parkes whom The Bulletin cheekily dubbed the 'great hi ham'. allows us to see behind the public activities of these men and women and to understand their private thoughts and aspirations. It is a book not so much of politics as of personalities, bringing the creators of our Commonwealth vividly to life.