The Oxford Companion to Australian History [Hardcover]

Graeme Davison (Editor), John Hirst (Editor), Stuart Macintyre (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 019551503X | ISBN-13: 978-0195515039 | Publication Date: December 27, 2001 | Edition: Rev Sub

This thoroughly revised Companion (first published in 1998) is immensely readable and entertaining with a range of curious and unexpected entries, such as those on duels, two-up, Vegemite, and the six o'clock swill. Thoroughly cross-referenced for easy access to all information, this volume contains many new entries as well as revisions on existing entries. This is a superb reference for all Australians as well as those interested in Australian history.

Editorial Reviews

Review

`Review from previous edition 'a book which will be consulted for decades to come and which every educated household should possess'' Roger Hainsworth, Adelaide Review

`this splendid new alphabetically ordered reference book on Australian history is remarkably free from the biases of political correctness or economic innocence...it is fair, competent and comprehensive; useful as a reference and often good to read in itself.' Robert Murray, Quandrant

`A host of readers will consult this Companion and glean crucial facts and statistics, many of them unknown even to some specialists...the major articles in The Oxford Companion to Australian History say something new with clarity and pithiness. The three editors deserve praises, not least because they themselves have written many of the major articles, commenting with insight even on fields that are not their own' Geoffrey Blainey, Times Literary Supplement

About the Author

Graeme Davison is Professor of History at Monash University, Australia, and is perhaps best known as the author of The Rise an Fall of Marvellous Melbourne, published in 1979. John Hirst is Reader of History at La Trobe University, Australia, and he is the author of many major histories (see Books by the same author, below). Stuart Macintyre is Ernest Scott Professor of History, University of Melbourne, Australia. He is co-editor of the Australia Series and author of The Succeeding Age (Volume 4 in the Series), which won the Victoria Premier's Award.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 744 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; Rev Sub edition (December 27, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 019551503X
• ISBN-13: 978-0195515039
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.8 x 2.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,524,574 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A mammoth compendium of things Australian, May 28, 2004

By 

Michael J. Mazza - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Oxford Companion to Australian History (Hardcover)

"The Oxford Companion to Australian History," revised edition, is edited by Graeme Davison, John Hirst, and Stuart Macintyre. More than 700 pages long, the book is full of alphabetically organized articles. The book's preface notes that the articles range in length from 100 to 2000 words.

The "Companion" is truly vast in scope. Subjects covered include Aboriginal topics (art, history, languages, etc.); people (opera singer Harold Blair, Olympic athlete Betty Cuthbert, suffragist Alice Henry, etc.); cities (Adelaide, Hobart, etc.); newspapers (the "Argus" of Melbourne, the "Canberra Times," etc.); religious bodies and movements (the Uniting Church, etc.); important events (the Cape Grim massacre, the Castle Hill Rising, etc.); political parties; various ethnic groups in Australia, and more.

I particularly appreciated the entries on Australian colloquial terms like "Pommy" and "reffo." There are also many articles that address certain big topics in Australian context: agriculture, censorship, feminism, the film industry, literature, social justice, etc. And interspersed throughout are entries on many other interesting topics: the Bunyip (a mythic animal), convict history, "Waltzing Matilda" (a song), Internet resources, pubs, Vegemite (a food), etc.

Also included: maps, a useful subject index, and a 9-page directory of the book's many contributors. Many bibliographic references are incorporated into the individual entries, making this a good starting place for more in-depth reading on particular topics. The "Companion" is an achievement as big and colorful as Australia itself. While this book is certainly a logical choice for the reference section of any good library, it's also a good book for any individual with an interest in or love for Australia.