Dustjacket synopsis:
"The verse of C.J. Dennis celebrates the simple pleasures of life. His uniquely Australian poems paint a vivid picture of ordinary Australians and their way of life. His most successful poems capture the patriotic mood of the Great War - 'The Austra-laise' became the unofficial anthem of the Australian troops. Some of his most enjoyable poems are presented to us through the eyes of the larrikin 'Sentimental Bloke', a character well loved by generations of Australians. Others are presented from the viewpoint of a farmer or a small country townsman. All have a special charm - they evoke a time of innocence, when a job was worth doing, a marriage was for life, and a mate could be relied upon through thick and thin.

"This selection includes many favourite poems featuring well-known characters - the Kid, Doreen, Ginger Mick and Digger Smith are well represented here - as well as several other poems written in more conventional verse which convey Dennis's appreciation of the Australian way of life as it was during the 1910s and through the Great War to the late 1920s.

"Brendan Akhurst's entertaining drawings capture the life and atmosphere of the poems superbly - they are a perfect complement to the text."

Contents:

Introduction by Margaret Olds
A Guide for Poits
A Spring Song
The Intro
The Play
Mar
Hitched
Washing Day
The Mooch o' Life
Wheat
The Silent Member
'Urry!
Flames
An Old Master
The Call of Stoush
A Letter to the Front
A Digger's Tale
Digger Smith
West
Half a Man
The Austra-laise
Dusk

From the Child & Associates hardback edition, 1989.