AustLit

'My first impression of this book, by Ken Gelder and Rachael Weaver, was that it is a visual delight. At a time when authors have to plead—and pay—for every image, the Miegunyah Press, funded by a legacy from Russell and Mab Grimwade, is keeping alive the art of book design and illustration. Under the hand of designer Patrick Cannon, almost 40 images—resplendent in their original colours—adorn the pages. But this beauty belies the subject matter. A close examination of the painting on the cover, J. A. Turner's The Last Leap (1873), reveals a kangaroo with a spear in its back being harried by a trio of greyhound-like dogs. This image captures the moment before death, signalling the book's theme of how the bloody business of kangaroo hunting was represented during Australia's colonial period and why it matters.' (Introduction)