Bill and Lisa have already posted today in recognition of ANZAC Day, Bill's titled ANZAC Day 2022, while Lisa's is about Martha Gething who is featured in the book, Australian women pilots: Amazing true stories of women in the air. My post, in fact, comes to you courtesy of Lisa who, last week, emailed me … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Australian Pocket Library (1)
Publishers
Monday musings on Australian literature: on 1922: 1, Bookstall Co.
I haven't done many Trove-inspired posts lately, but, I do enjoy pottering around Trove's Newspapers and Gazettes database, so thought that for today's Monday Musings I'd have a little look at what was happening in the Australian book world in 1922. My broad search retrieved around 8,000 articles! I can't read them all, but I … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: on 1922: 1, Bookstall Co.
Monday musings on Australian literature: Allen & Unwin’s House of Books
I have written a few posts over the years on the publishing of Australian classics, including one in 2014 in which I mentioned Allen & Unwin's Australian Classics series. That series seems to have disappeared, but the publisher does have another initiative, House of Books. Here is what Allen & Unwin say about this series … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Allen & Unwin’s House of Books
Monday musings on Australian literature: Currawong Publishing Company
As regular readers know, I've been involved in much clearing out of houses over the last eighteen months. I have, as a result, accumulated a small but interesting collection of older books, several of which I have already posted on. Today's post is inspired by another such book, And all the trees are green (1944), by … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Currawong Publishing Company
Monday musings on Australian literature: Pitch days
When I was researching last Monday's post on development programs for writers, I came across several references to publisher "pitch" days. As someone who isn't writing a book, and who has no plans to, the concept of a "pitch" day was something that hadn't made a big impact on me, though of course I knew what … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Pitch days
Monday musings on Australian literature: Translated fiction, Australian-style
Having just read and reviewed Linda Jaivin's Quarterly essay, Lost in translation: In praise of a plural world, I thought I'd research the state of translated fiction in Australia. Jaivin doesn't spend a lot of time of this particular issue, but in her concluding plea she says: Publishers need to consider how to prise open … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Translated fiction, Australian-style
Monday musings on Australian literature: Specialist presses
I've written Monday musings before about publishers, including posts on small presses and university presses. Today I'm bringing you another - about publishers which specialise in a certain "type" of literature. As with my other posts of this type, this won't be comprehensive, but will comprise a selection whose specialties interest me! Here they are … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Specialist presses
Monday musings on Australian literature: University presses
I was inspired to write this post last year when commenter Wendy Borchers mentioned Catchfire Press and described it as being associated with the University of Newcastle. I'd never heard of it. It is a community-based press primarily run by volunteers, but their covers, they say, are chosen by competition between senior design students at … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: University presses
Monday musings on Australian literature: Popular Penguins at a Perfect Price
You all know Penguin Books - and perhaps something about the company's origin. The story goes that Allen Lane, standing on a train platform in 1935 and not being able to find "something good" to read, decided that there existed "a vast reading public for intelligent books at a low price". He staked all he had, … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Popular Penguins at a Perfect Price
Whispering Gums 