Author Description

Folklore offers invaluable insights into a country's character, and Australia's sense of nationality owes much to the slang, stories, artifacts, and games handed down by its people since the earliest times. Written by a team of authorities, this comprehensive guide to Australian folklore includes full-length articles on the construction and interpretation of a folk heritage. It also covers such topics as the Australia Legend, Koori languages, ANZAC Day, country music, Greek shadow puppetry, patchwork quilts, and gum leaf playing, and myths and heroes like Ned Kelly, Henry Lawson, Percy Grainger, "The Wild Colonial Boy," and "The Dog on the Tucker Box."