WALLACE KIRSOP, Foreword
C.B. THORNTON-SMITH, Two Adaptations of S.T. Gill by Gustave Doré
This article examines the adaptation by Gustave Doré of two of S.T. Gill’s drawings, for publication in the French magazine Le Tour du monde. These drawings were meant to illustrate a pseudo-travelogue (“De Sydney à Adélaïde”) which the author argues was not, as claimed by the editors, the text of private correspondence but the translation and adaptation of published material.
Keywords: travel writing, S.T. Gill, Gustave Doré, Le Tour du monde, Rambles in the Antipodes, Dr Edward Wilson, Hubert de Castella, Les Squatters australiens
JOHN HOLROYD, The Grand Bibliopole: William LeGrand
William Legrand was an eccentric but erudite bookseller who arrived in Tasmania in 1855 at the age of approximately 39. Little is known of his background except that he was thought to be of French descent. Apart from antiquarian books, Legrand was also an expert in conchology and in 1871 he published a treatise on “Tasmanian land shells”. Legrand died in 1902, aged 86. When due to his illness the business was closed down, approximately 80,000 items (books, manuscripts, memorabilia, artworks, etc.) were disposed of, mostly through a second-hand general dealer.
Keywords: William Legrand, antiquarian bookseller, Hobart, conchology
ROGER LONDON, French-Australian Relations in War Time
Roger London writes of his personal experiences as a French man living in Australia and mobilised at the beginning of the war. He served in Indochina, Japan and Australia between 1940 and 1943. After the war he joined the diplomatic corps and after various postings was appointed head of the French Consulate in Melbourne.
Keywords: Roger London, WWII, mobilisation, Free French Committee in Australia, ABC French language broadcast, Admiral d’Argenlieu
STEPHEN ALOMES, Taking Liberties: a Tale of Two Bicentennials
The two bicentennials of the title are the celebrations of the arrival of the First Fleet in Botany Bay in 1788 and the fall of the Bastille in 1789. Alternating between the two events, the author highlights the parallels and the contrasts between them. One of the main common themes is what the article refers to as “consumer patriotism”. Other similarities are examined.
Keywords: Bicentennial celebrations, consumerism, political exploitation
J.S. RYAN, Patrick White’s Study of French at Cambridge
Patrick White studied French literature at the University of Cambridge (King’s College) between 1932 and 1935, where he read for the Tripos in Modern Languages (French and German). The article lists the various subject areas and set texts attached to them which were on the syllabus during White’s years at Cambridge, the emphasis being, apart from some medieval and 16th century material, on 17th, 18th and 19th century topics.
Keywords: Patrick White, Cambridge University, 1930s, French literature syllabus
National Library of Australia, Australian Historic Records Register, reviewed by Edward Duyker
Lynne Strahan, Private and Public Memory: A History of the city of Malvern, reviewed by Edward Duyker
Francoise Lionnet, Autobiographical Voices: Race, Gender, Self-Portraiture, reviewed by Edward Duyker
Bernard Gildas, Guide des recherches sur l’histoire des familles, reviewed by Edward Duyker
Australian Dictionary of Biography, volume 12:1891-1939, reviewed by Edward Duyker
Joseph Lo Bianco & Alain Monteil, French in Australia: New Prospects, reviewed by Edward Duyker