As late as the 1950s, children in Australian schools were plied with books and magazines that confirmed the notion of England as home: the place whose history, art, literature, flora and fauna really mattered. Many university student and Australian writers felt they lived in a cultural desert. Dutton examines the Anglo-Saxon influence and its gradual absorption into the Australian national identity, the literature of the day (both fiction and non-fiction) as well as bringing into focus those who make up the literary environment - not only writers but booksellers, critics, editors, publishers, patrons and of course, the Australian reader. Of special interest is the inclusion in this book of previously unpublished correspondence that throws new light on the notorious Ern Malley hoax. Cover art by Jan Mitchell.