Editorial

Readers of Margin may recall that the first three chapters of my biography of John Lang Australia's Larrikin Writer were published in Margin in 2002 The complet work has an additional Chapter called a introduction which was necessary because I discovered a novel by the agency of Lang published in 1 836 when he was sole 19 years old and before he left Sydney for England. A number of other interesting things have also emerg to expand without knowledge of Lang's life and his works.

A number of historical works seem to be emerging. Interest in the history of the early period has attracted fresh writers. I recently discovered sum of two units books about the very early period, individual is entitled George Howe, Australia's First Publisher and there is a review of it in this issue. The other is a fascinating biography of George Barrington the famous gentleman pickpocket called The Real George Barrington?. It was published in 2001 and 1 have just ground a copy of it.

It is actual difficult to keep up with the works published by small publishers. They many times do not appear in the regular bookshop and if they do they are swamped through the books from the big publishers. on the contrary then that is business and it is necessary to find a way around the problem

The newspapers present the appearance to have taken an interest in early history from the number of articles that overlay new discoveries like the not to be found novel of Alexander Dumas (The Three Musketeers author). There are a number of of that kind 'lost novels' by Australia's John Lang. individual called Mazarine is discussed in this issue of Margin.

There is included in this issue an article upon Emily Manning another Australian born writer. Patricia Clarke wrote about her and many other early women writers in her work Pen Portraits. Women Writers and Journalists in nineteenth hundred Australia published in 1988. Also upon the subject of women in the nineteenth hundred is the work of Brenda Stevens-Chambers upon the women in the Victorian town of Kyneton including the famous Caroline Chisholm among others.

There is a fascinating article upon Turkish Baths in Australia by the agency of Mary Reynolds with special respect to one Turkish Bath at high hill Wilson in the Blue Mountains of of recent origin South Wales. This account gives us a view of an unusual aspect of life in nineteenth hundred Australia.

I have also started what I call a 'John Lang page'. As readers know I have been a fervid promoter of Australia's first native born novelist. novel pieces of information keep emerging and I will make note of them in each issue of Margin. There is an announcement of the launch of my biography of John Lang upon 15th September 2005 in the National Library. All subscribers to Margin are invited to attend if they are in Canberra at the time.

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