The Birth of a Nation by William Leonard Joy is a mid-20th-century narrative history of early Australia, specially commissioned by The Sunday Telegraph (Sydney, N.S.W.). Published in 1962, the work presents a sweeping account of Australia’s formative colonial years, tracing the establishment of British settlement through to the shaping of national identity.
 
Opening with the arrival of the First Fleet and Governor Arthur Phillip’s foundation of the colony at Sydney Cove in 1788, Joy charts:
The hardships of early penal settlement
The relationship between convicts, military officers, and colonial administrators
The development of agriculture and trade
The growth of Sydney and surrounding districts
Political tensions and emerging self-government
The gradual transformation from penal outpost to organised colony
 
The illustrated endpapers — including the depiction of Sydney Cove as seen by Governor Phillip in 1788 (after Lieutenant William Bradley) — reinforce the historical tone and educational purpose of the book.
 
Joy writes in a clear, accessible style aimed at a general readership, blending narrative storytelling with documented historical events. The tone reflects a mid-century Australian historical perspective, focusing on colonial administration, exploration, and civic development.