The Oxford Companion to Australian Literature

What a fabulous, comprehensive, informative book this is! I love Australian memoirs of early settlement as well as "Banjo" Paterson's humorous poetry, the novels of Patrick White, other classic Australian novels such as "Picnic at Hanging Rock", and just about everything I have ever read by Australians, about Australia. In my wildest dreams I never knew there was such a vast array of books, all of which, it seems, are listed and discussed in this book. Listings are alphabetical by authors and often by a particular book title itself. Research appears to be exhaustive and all-inclusive and unbiased. I love this book! But because of it, I will go broke buying Australian books and will have to live an extra hundred years or so in order to read all of them. With this book, I have neglected my reading and have found myself spending the better part of several evenings looking through this tome. Also wonderful, and along the same line as this book, is "The Oxford Literary Guide to Australia". It is arranged differently, by location and then by townships, and includes hundreds of photos of authors and places. I am using the two books together for a thorough description of authors, books, places, etc. GREAT reading and such fun!

This is a 'must have' guide for those who are either researching particular Australian writers, works of literature, or important themes. If, for example, you are trying to find out more about bushrangers in Australian Literature, the comprehensive entry that starts on page 137 will define the term, give some history and provide some examples of literature. Want to know something about 'The Thorn Birds' by Colleen McCullough? Turn to Page 745. Colleen McCullough is herself the subject of an entry on Page 489. A great starting point for any author, theme or significant work of literature up to the 1990s. Jennifer Cameron-Smith