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Image courtesy of publisher's website.
y separately published work icon Digger Smith selected work   poetry   humour  
  • Author:agent C. J. Dennis http://www.poetrylibrary.edu.au/poets/dennis-c-j-clarence-james
Issue Details: First known date: 1918... 1918 Digger Smith
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Contents

* Contents derived from the Sydney, New South Wales,:Angus and Robertson , 1918 version. Please note that other versions/publications may contain different contents. See the Publication Details.
Before the Wari""Before the war, " she sighs. "Before the war."", C. J. Dennis , single work poetry humour (p. 11-16)
The Dummy Bridgei"'If I'd 'a' played me Jack on that there Ten,'", C. J. Dennis , single work poetry (p. 19-24)
Note: With title "Dummy Bridge"
Dadi"I've knowed old Flood this last five year or more;", C. J. Dennis , single work poetry (p. 27-31)
Digger Smithi"'E calls me Digger; that's 'ow 'e begins", C. J. Dennis , single work poetry war literature (p. 35-39)
Westi"I've seen so much uv dirt an' grime", C. J. Dennis , single work poetry (p. 43-47)
Over the Fencei"'Tain't my idea uv argument to call a man a fool,", C. J. Dennis , single work poetry (p. 51-54)
A Digger's Talei""My oath!" the Duchess sez. "You's not ixpect", C. J. Dennis , single work poetry humour (p. 57-61)
Jim's Girli""'Oo is that girl," sez Digger Smith,", C. J. Dennis , single work poetry (p. 65-69)
The Boys Out Therei""Why do they do it? I dunno."", C. J. Dennis , single work poetry (p. 73-77)
Half a Mani""I wash me 'ands uv 'im, " I tells 'em, straight", C. J. Dennis , single work poetry humour (p. 81-84)
Sawin' Woodi"I wondered wot was doin'. First I seen", C. J. Dennis , single work poetry (p. 87-89)
Jimi""Now, be the Hokey Fly!" sez Peter Begg", C. J. Dennis , single work poetry (p. 93-97)
A Square Deali""Dreamin'?" I sez to Digger Smith.", C. J. Dennis , single work poetry (p. 101-105)
VIEW ENTIRE CONTENTS ( works)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • Sydney, New South Wales,: Angus and Robertson , 1918 .
      Extent: 112p.
      Description: col. illus.
      Note/s:
      • Frontispiece and title page illustration by Hal Gye.
      Series: y separately published work icon Pocket Editions for the Trenches Angus and Robertson (publisher), 1916-1918 Z1309361 1916 series - publisher

      Published by Angus and Robertson in during the First World War, these small-format editions (14.5cm X 11.5cm.) were designed to fit the tunic pockets of the Anzacs. Each volume was published with a full colour dustjacket, frontispiece and title page vignette. 'Into their presentation was poured much love and care and, despite the necessary wartime frugality which generally restricted the use of all but monotone printing, the work of three outstanding illustrators was commissioned to be reproduced in full colour. Most of those illustrated editions left the country never to return and so copies are ... rare... It is interesting to speculate the effect these illustrations may have had on the troops - Norman Lindsay's dusty droving and homestead scenes, Lionel Lindsay's magnificent wild brumbies and his grandfatherly Saltbush surrounded by "little rouseabouts", Hal Gye's soldiers from an earlier conflict, ramrod straight on sentry duty or in the saddle' (Publishers note, Collected Verse of A. B. Paterson,1982, p.vii-viii).

      In 2018, HarperCollins republished the series (under the imprint Angus and Robertson) to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War.
  • Appears in:
    y separately published work icon The Complete Sentimental Bloke Neil James (editor), C. J. Dennis , Pymble : Angus and Robertson , 2001 Z1378117 2001 selected work poetry Brings together all C. J. Dennis' books using his 'Sentimental Bloke' characters. Pymble : Angus and Robertson , 2001
    • Sydney South, South Sydney area, Sydney Southern Suburbs, Sydney, New South Wales,: Angus and Robertson , 2018 .
      image of person or book cover 1290730382462307244.jpg
      Image courtesy of publisher's website.
      Extent: 120p.p.
      Edition info: Facsimile of 1918 ed.
      ISBN: 9781460756034, 1460756037
VIEW PUBLICATION DETAILS FOR ALL VERSIONS ()

Related Works

The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke C. J. Dennis , Sydney : Angus and Robertson , 1915 Z429076 1915 selected work poetry humour
— Appears in: The Complete Sentimental Bloke 2001;

Arguably the most popular book of poetry ever produced in Australia, The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke was first published in October 1915. Its success was immediate and unprecedented for a book of Australian verse. The first edition of 2,480 copies sold out within weeks, and by the end of February 1916 the book had reached a fifth impression and was still selling well. Tongue firmly in cheek, C. J. Dennis informed his publishers Angus and Robertson that the work's 'success [was] becoming monotonous'. There was more monotony to come, however: the book sold more than 100,000 copies in the first five years after its publication, and was rarely out of print in Dennis's lifetime. Added to this, there were film, stage, and musical versions of the work, as well as recitals given by popular entertainers. In many respects, 'The Sentimental Bloke' became a phenomenon of popular culture that took on a life of its own.

Dennis later claimed that the idea for 'The Sentimental Bloke' came from a 'racy' young man from Melbourne he had met in Toolangi. According to Dennis' wife Margaret Herron, the young man had fallen in love with a farmer's daughter, but the farmer disapproved and forbade her from having anything to do with him. The Melbourne man was said to have complained to Dennis, 'what sort of bloke do they think I am? Blimey, anyone would think I was a crook! Ain't a bloke got sisters of his own?' In Dennis's imagination, this frustrated love affair eventually became a story in which a tough, streetwise young larrikin gives up his dissolute ways for domestic happiness with his sweetheart. A crucial factor in the success of Dennis's 'Sentimental Bloke' verse was that it was narrated from the point of view of 'the Bloke', employing a slang idiom appropriate to the character. In his correspondence with his publishers, Dennis noted that 'the stuff, while not having any considerable literary merit, is, I believe, extremely popular'.
VIEW ALL RELATED WORKS (1)

Works about this Work

Selected Works of C. J. Dennis : Introduction Barry Watts , 1988 single work criticism biography
— Appears in: Selected Works of C. J. Dennis 1988; (p. 1-17) Watts gives a substantial account of Dennis's life and work. Watts describes the success and failures of Dennis's verse, paying particular attention to the publishing strategies of George Robertson. The ever-changing tastes of the book-buying public played a significant part in the success and failures of Dennis's books and the poet's poor financial management ensured that he could afford to concentrate solely on his verse for only a short period of his life.
The Anzac Tradition Ken Inglis , 1965 single work criticism
— Appears in: Meanjin Quarterly , March vol. 24 no. 1 1965; (p. 25-44) On Native Grounds : Australian Writing from Meanjin Quarterly 1967; (p. 205-221)
A New Dennis Book 1919 single work review
— Appears in: The Queenslander , 1 February 1919; (p. 3)
— Review of Digger Smith C. J. Dennis , 1918 selected work poetry
Editorial Notes Bernard O'Dowd , 1919 single work criticism
— Appears in: Birth : A Little Journal of Australian Poetry , January vol. 3 no. 26 1919; (p. 7-8)
— Review of Selected Poems of Henry Lawson Henry Lawson , 1918 selected work poetry
"Digger Smith" 1918 single work review
— Appears in: The Australian Town and Country Journal , 11 December vol. 98 no. 2554 1918; (p. 2)
— Review of Digger Smith C. J. Dennis , 1918 selected work poetry
A New Dennis Book 1919 single work review
— Appears in: The Queenslander , 1 February 1919; (p. 3)
— Review of Digger Smith C. J. Dennis , 1918 selected work poetry
"Den" 1918 single work review
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 21 November vol. 39 no. 2023 1918; (p. 26)
— Review of Digger Smith C. J. Dennis , 1918 selected work poetry
"Digger Smith" 1918 single work review
— Appears in: The Australian Town and Country Journal , 11 December vol. 98 no. 2554 1918; (p. 2)
— Review of Digger Smith C. J. Dennis , 1918 selected work poetry
Editorial Notes Bernard O'Dowd , 1919 single work criticism
— Appears in: Birth : A Little Journal of Australian Poetry , January vol. 3 no. 26 1919; (p. 7-8)
— Review of Selected Poems of Henry Lawson Henry Lawson , 1918 selected work poetry
Selected Works of C. J. Dennis : Introduction Barry Watts , 1988 single work criticism biography
— Appears in: Selected Works of C. J. Dennis 1988; (p. 1-17) Watts gives a substantial account of Dennis's life and work. Watts describes the success and failures of Dennis's verse, paying particular attention to the publishing strategies of George Robertson. The ever-changing tastes of the book-buying public played a significant part in the success and failures of Dennis's books and the poet's poor financial management ensured that he could afford to concentrate solely on his verse for only a short period of his life.
The Anzac Tradition Ken Inglis , 1965 single work criticism
— Appears in: Meanjin Quarterly , March vol. 24 no. 1 1965; (p. 25-44) On Native Grounds : Australian Writing from Meanjin Quarterly 1967; (p. 205-221)
C.J. Dennis : "The Sentimental Bloke" and "Digger Smith" 1918 single work criticism biography
— Appears in: The Lone Hand , 2 December vol. 8 no. 13 1918; (p. 572)
VIEW ALL WORKS ABOUT (7)
Last amended 6 Jan 2024 11:02:38
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