'Walker tells the story of her magazine editor grandfather against the larger backdrop of Australian history and cultural growth. William Shum was a pioneer in Australian magazines, as founding editor of (The) New Idea in 1902, and then Australian Home Beautiful in 1926. As founding editor of New Idea and then Australian Home Beautiful (roles he held for over four decades from 1902-1946), William Shum had an extraordinary influence on people's lives through the crucial years when modern Australia was being formed. His impact on the homes, gardens and lives of people from all walks of life was immense, yet he remains an unknown figure. Shum led his readers through a time of great change. He encouraged people to break with traditional thinking about their homes and gardens and be open to ideas more appropriate to a new country. Australia, as we know it today, was taking shape, and Australian Home Beautiful led the way. Beautifully illustrated, with rich visual support for the text, the book contains many of Home Beautiful's memorable hand painted covers, in addition to some of Shum's wonderfully spontaneous photographs of family life in the early decades of the 20th century.' (Publication summary)
