C.J. DENNIS: A COMPREHENSIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY BASED ON THE COLLECTION OF THE COMPILER by IAN F. McLAREN. (Libraries Board of Australia, 1979.) 29.5 x 21.5 ems. Pp. xvi,284,[4], 2 supplementary loose sheets; limited to 500 copies, of which 400 ($27) are bound in paper wrappers; 96 ($36) are bound in vinyl laminate, and 4 copies bound in full leather, numbered and signed by the compiler.

For more than thirty years Ian McLaren, an accountant by profession and a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly for eleven of those years, has been known to booksellers, librarians, publishers and book collectors the world over as a true "brother of the book", with a very wide net to cope with a number of Australiana areas.

By no means the least of these has been the gathering together of anything and everything relating to C.J. Dennis, it seems no matter what, and the end result up to 1978 has been this "comprehensive" bibliography. It is more aptly described, as I found after beginning to browse through it and ending up spending more time with it than I had to spare, as a "cornucopia" as the publishers describe it.

With the study of the history of Australian literature and of books in Australia, as such, taking on significance, Ian McLaren's minute description of variants, with illustrations to prove the existence of a point, together with relevant details of impressions and editions, are useful in a quantitative analysis of the state of the book trade or the growth of a publishing house.

Add to this information as to the number of review copies sent out and the number of reviews published, with extracts included, and the correspondence between Dennis and his publishers, particularly with Angus & Robertson, or Cole of the Book Arcade, and the full impact of the background history takes shape And it isn't always dry as dust. They're a touchy lot on both sides of the table. There are letters from Dennis to other authors, and about other authors, and criticisms of current and past literature all throwing light on Dennis and his circle and occasionally on his private life. The whereabouts of much of the material in public and institutional libraries as well as in private collections in Australia and overseas is freely indicated so that the research student, or the curious reader or collector may look further if he or she wishes.

Dennis's works in various media, including stage, film, musical and records as well as memorials and other ephemera are covered. The book throughout is generously illustrated with photographs and plates in both colour and black and white. Many of the whimsical drawings and cartoons are the work of Hal Gye, Dennis's close friend and fellow-author who wrote both verse and prose under the name "James Hackston".

The bibliography is preceded by a lengthy article, "C.J. Dennis: his Life and Work" and concludes with an index taking up 24 pages of single spaced printing. The reader will agree with the publishers that "it is unlikely that the works of any other Australian writer have been described in such detail before".

Walter Stone

Biblionews Issue 245, September 1979