A Glance at Australia in 1880

£19.95 (plus p&p) from S&N Genealogy Supplies, West Wing, Manor Farm, Chilmark, Salisbury, SP3 5AF
Tel: 01722 716121, Web: www.genealogysupplies.com.

This unusual directory starts by taking each Australian state (and New Zealand) in turn, and detailing their history and topography. This is followed by information about life in each state, with consideration of work, wage rates, religion, sport and the lifestyles of the inhabitants. Chapters about immigration to Australia and the advantages of living in the country then reveal the true purpose of the book.

There are also various interesting narrative descriptions of the leading banks and mercantile houses in Australia, and a helpful agricultural directory, which lists the country's farmers. These include a J Breed of Mittagong, which is close to Wagga Wagga in New South Wales.

An advertisements section, in which both the Victoria Ice Company of Melbourne and the New South Wales Fresh Food and Ice Company offer home deliveries of ice, concludes a fascinating and helpful volume.