Bill Wannan’s Tales From Back O’ Bourke
Traditional Australian Humour
by Bill Wannan
Illustrated by Vane Lindesay
Rigby, 1967, [First Edition], black and white illustrated plates (line drawings), hardcover, dustjacket
Very Good Condition, a little edge and shelf wear, a little rubbing and bumping to edges and corners, no inscriptions, dustjacket shows a little edge and shelf wear with a little rubbing, bumping, creasing chipping and small tears, sticker residue to front cover (see photographs)
“New chums, bosses and braggarts have long been traditional butts of Australian humour, which usually relies for much of its effect on dead-pan delivery. For sheer presence of mind, take the swaggie caught by the squatter in the act of killing a sheep. “Caught red-handed!” roars the squatter. “Yes…and I’ll kill any man’s sheep that tries to bite me,” is the undaunted reply. Then there’s’ the tall story vein of humour, like the one about the size of the mossies at a certain waterhole outside Newcastle.”