Tim Dolin from the ANU has been combing through local library records in country towns to determine what Aussies were reading in the early years of Federation.
In "The Secret Reading Life of Us..." he reports the findings of his analysis from primary sources, and the records show the cultural diversity which has been part of our true-blue culture from the outset.
Certainly the local authors feature, but what dominated (as it still does) in the late 1800's and early 1900'a was the popular cultures of England and America. Book sales were mostly limited to cheap novels, most imported from the UK
Australia at federation was already a nation of readers. They read fiction, in particular popular fiction produced elsewhere for a world-wide English language market.
What do true blues read, traditionally 4282Peter Wicks (aka "Che Guava"), posting as "fasgnadh", wrote Another example of his spindoctoring lunacy. Nothing relevant to act-b. ---snip--- (Guano's forgery of my attribution line undone.) Specifically, that madness lunatics of your...
Between 1189-1953 Australia was the largest foreign market for British book exports.
In the period 1880-1950's we have an unambiguous record comprising raw data from library loans, records, catalogues, etc. showing what people read, by occupation, or gender.
Mostly fiction, not usually Australian fiction,
For example, of the 392 membrers of the Collie Mechanics Insbreastute (WA) there were 7280 borrowings by men and 1282 by women. Women borrowes however were heavier readers, borrowing 28 books person, men 21-person.
The largest group of borrowers were miners (not unusual for a mining town like collie, where workers were teh majority. 98% of borrowings were popular novels
What was not borrowed was equally informative; including Shakespeare and Thackery, Kipling, HG Wells, Sir Walter ScottScott and some interesting surprises;
The most popular Australian author was Nat Gould. Steele Rudd (Dad In Politics) was borrowed a mere 18 times out of a total 8562 borrowings.
The most popular Authors were Silas and Joseph Hocking, Cornish Methodist ministers who wrote sunday school fables and faith-and-doubt adventures known now as 'pulp Methodism'! 8^o
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Others in the Collie Top 10 included
What do true blues read, traditionally 4281Ned Latham Ned finally admits that the phrase "cultural diversity which has been part of our true-blue culture from the outset" is a reference to 'multiculty'! B^D It is correct, and...
David Graham Phillips - an American who wrote muckraking exposes of American High society.
Ralph Connor, (Charles william Gordon) a Canadian Presbetryian Minister who wrote moral tales. Catherine Thurston, an Irish Author E phillips Oppenheim (Spy and Invasion scare novels) and Sir Henry Rider Haggard.
True-blues, and the entire pre-1950's mainstream, were reading (even preferring) writers other than the locals.. a diversity of populist writers from other cultures.... .. much as is the case today.
The genre which has mostly dissappeared (but may be making a comeback ?) is the folk religious material.
This comprehensive and detailed picture of the pre 1950's popular culture represents a problem for those who want to claim that the mainstream of that period was not diverse, religious and multicultural.
