A NEW LITERARY HISTORY OF AUSTRALIA IS A MAJOR RE-EVALUATION OF THE LITERATURE OF AUSTRALIA WRITTEN BY LEADING AUTHORITIES IN THEIR FIELD, ALL WRITINGS WITH A DESIRE TO COMMUNICATE THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING TO THE GENERAL AND STUDENT READER. WHILE ITS STRUCTURE IS LOOSELY CHRONOLOGI- CAL IT DIPS INTO SPECIFIC THEMES AND ASPECTS THAT CHARACTERISE THE DEVELOP- MENT OF AUSTRALIAN LITERATURE. THE TITLE EMPHASISES THAT THE BOOK PLACES LITERTURE IN THE SOCIAL CONTEXT OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF AUSTRALIA AND IS BEING PUBLISHED WITH THE SUPPORT AND PROMOTION OF THE AUSTRALIAN BICENTENNIAL AUTHORITY.