AustLit

'The archives of the Australian firm of Angus & Robertson reveal ways in which publishers act as cultural gatekeepers to the society in which they live. The books that the founder, George Robertson, published form part of the bedrock on which Australian literature and history is grounded. The author of this article examines these texts and their original manuscripts so as to document the way in which Robertson influenced Australian legends of male mateship, egalitarianism and the independent Australian girl. The body of work Robertson proudly commissioned, edited, published and distributed helped to shape and crystallise a national cultural identity.' - (abstract, p.26)

'In early 2005, I approached Lee White to invite her to collaborate in writing a paper for the biennial national editors' conference. I had read Lee's Master of Arts thesis on the role and status of book editors in Australia (White 1986) and I suggested that her earlier research constituted a critical historical and contextual framework for thinking about the role and status of book editors today. We agreed that it would be worth researching the intervening twenty years and set about identifying the areas we might wish to explore We decided to collaborate with colleagues and prepared a list of ten survey questions for a small, targeted sample of mostly freelance Melbourne-based book editors.' - Diane Brown, author's note, (p.90)

Traces Davis' career and seeks to identify some of the distinctive characteristics of her approach to publishing.