The Canon of Ancona

Born in Italy, Raffaele Martelli was headed for a brilliant career as a priest and professor but his passion for Italian unification and civil rights put him at odds with the church establishment. After a chance encounter with Rosendo Salvado, founder of the New Norcia Mission, he sailed to Fremantle in 1853, at the age of 42.

Directed by church authorities to work among the white population, his passion for social justice led him to build churches and schools, work side by side with Protestant pastors, and look out for the downtrodden. When he finally managed to work with Aboriginal people, the worsening nature of the colonial frontier presented challenges he felt unable to meet. The Canon of Ancona captures a unique voice in early Western Australia – the voice of an outsider.

 

"A fascinating portrait of a complex man living in an exciting time. Pleasantly and compellingly written, The Canon of Ancona is the work of a seasoned expert’s consultation of thousands of original archival documents in Italy and Australia. Students and scholars of Aboriginal studies, Italian history, the history of missions and global Catholicism, Australian/Western Australian history, and colonial and imperial studies will all benefit from this work.”

Shaun Blanchard, senior lecturer of Theology, Notre Dame

 

“New Norcia was at the outset a vastly overambitious project that really should have failed, and would have were it not for the strength of character of those that built it from. It is now a treasure chest for historians, the greatest part of its riches being the written letters and diaries of its wonderful early characters. That these were written in a variety of European languages has meant that many fascinating stories have remained untranslated and read by few. John Kinder has here at last vividly revealed to us one such character in Raffaele Martelli. A compelling story of an intellectual Italian priest with a surprising capacity to thrive despite the harshness of both Western Australian bush, and society.” Peter Burke, Author of The Silk Merchant’s Son

ISBN: 978-1-76080-321-6

PUBLICATION DATE: 1 February 2026

FORMAT: paperback, 234mm x 153mm

EXTENT: 358 pages

RIGHTS: World

CATEGORY: non-fiction; scholarly; biography 

PRICE: $45.00 AUD incl GST