{"product_id":"9781743320129","title":"Biography of a Book","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eBiography of a Book\u003c\/i\u003e traces the life of an iconic Australian literary work in the lead-up to, and for a century after, its initial publication: Henry Lawson's 1896 collection \u003ci\u003eWhile the Billy Boils\u003c\/i\u003e. Paul Eggert follows Lawson's gradual development of a pared-back bush realism in the early 1890s, as he struggled to forge a career, writing short stories and sketches for the newspapers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLawson's famous collection came out at a decisive moment for the development of a fully professional Australian literary publishing industry, then in its infancy in Õ¬Äе¼º½. The volume's editing, design and production were collaborative events that changed the feel and nature of Lawson's writing. He had to give ground on his texts and their sequencing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe collection went on to be reprinted and repackaged countless times. Its production and reception histories act like a geological cross-section, revealing the contours of successive cultural formations in Australia. In unravelling the life of Lawson's classic work, Eggert's book-historical approach challenges and clarifies established understandings of crucial moments in Australian literary history and of Lawson himself.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Õ¬Äе¼º½","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44937359982780,"sku":"9781743320129","price":45.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2667\/8266\/files\/51839_jpg_rgb_original.jpg?v=1750957073","url":"https:\/\/sydneyuniversitypress.com\/products\/9781743320129","provider":"Õ¬Äе¼º½","version":"1.0","type":"link"}