An essential collection of Henry Lawson's best-loved stories. Rogues, larrikins and the lost people - these timeless stories range from inspired, laconic comedies to pathos and tragedy. this selection showcases Lawson's range as a fiction writer and highlights his profound influence on how Australians see themselves. Here are delightful tales, thrilling tales, tales of love, of strife and of adventure, tales full of humour - stories of every mood, all alive with the magic of Lawson's genius, a genius which ranks with that of the world's greatest short-story writers. This gorgeous gift edition includes 'the Drover's Wife', 'the Union Buries Its Dead' and 'the Loaded Dog'. 'Lawson's genius remains as vivid and human as when he first boiled his literary billy' - the Bulletin 'A book of honest, direct, sympathetic, humorous writing about Australia from within is worth a library of travellers' tales ... the result is a real book - a book in a hundred. His language is terse, supple, and richly idiomatic. He can tell a yarn with the best.' the Academy on While the Billy Boils ' These classics are our indispensable voices. At a time when our culture was still noisy with foreign chatter and clouded by foreign visions, these writers told us our own stories and allowed us to examine and evaluate both our homeplace and our place in the world.' Geraldine Brooks