AustLit

In this issue we are treated to a tour of Melbourne bookshops in the late l970s and early 1980s - both in the city and the suburbs. We join John Arnold on a typical day of bookshop trawling where we meet the doyen of Melbourne booksellers during that era. Laced with anecdotes, trivia and bibliographical history, with several images, including a sketch by Bill Henson, we see how the Melbourne bookshop scene evolved over that decade.' (Editorial introduction)

The first issue of Biblionews came out as a newsletter in April 1947 and appeared thereafter each month with, typically, 2-3 foolscap pages, occasionally extending to around 8 pages, depending on the length of certain articles. Gradually, the size of the newsletter increased to such an extent that by Biblionews 199 (September 1962) it was described as a journal, though still in foolscap format. It switched to the AS booklet format with Series 2, Issue 215 in early 1966, from which time Biblionews was published quarterly. The 300th issue was printed in 1993. In recognition of the 70th anniversary of the birth of Biblionews, issue 397 (March 2018) was devoted to the writings of founding editor Walter Stone. Now, to celebrate the 400th issue, we are reproducing articles by contributors other than Walter Stone. '  (Editorial Introduction)