AustLit

The Australasian Book Society was a cooperative publishing society which funded the publication of Australian authors through members' subscriptions. Founded in Melbourne at a meeting convened by George Seelaf, the society initially had Communist Party and trade union associations, and published largely left wing and democratic novels. It provided members with up to four books each year for their subscription. The first editor was Ian Turner; when the society moved to Sydney around 1959 Jack Beasley took over as editor. Of the eighty-three books published by the society, seventy were from original manuscripts, and the balance were acquired from commercial publishers.