Professor Gillian Whitlock identified the proliferation and diversity of Australian anthologies published in the 1980s and 1990s. The following tables, which were compiled from the AustLit database, involve both short fiction anthologies and literary anthologies (anthologies which involve literary criticism). Poetry anthologies and mixed anthologies (short stories and poetry) were not included in the survey.
The first table categorises the anthologies examined during the project (figures from the 1970s are included for comparative purposes), while the second provides an overview of Australian short story and literary anthologies published since the 1800s.
| 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of anthologies | 90 | 300 | 615 |
| Trade Publishers | 30% | 28% | 20% |
| Regional focus | 11% | 18% | 30% |
| National focus | 22% | 22% | 30% |
| Woman-centred | 1.5% | 9% | 8% |
| Multicultural | 5% | 6% | 9% |
| Indigenous | 5% | 1.5% | 6% |
| Woman/women editors | 16% | 40% | 40% |
| Writing communities (guilds, collectives and fellowships) | 7% | 16% | 25% |
| Young Adult | 5% | 4% | 16% |
| Generational | 9% | 5% | 22% |
| Decade | Total Anthologies | Literary Anthologies |
|---|---|---|
| 1800-1899 | 29 | 5 |
| 1900-1909 | 9 | 3 |
| 1910-1919 | 13 | 2 |
| 1920-1929 | 7 | 5 |
| 1930-1939 | 17 | 8 |
| 1940-1949 | 30 | 11 |
| 1950-1959 | 21 | 14 |
| 1960-1969 | 67 | 34 |
| 1970-1979 | 99 | 40 |
| 1980-1989 | 300 | 104 |
| 1990-1999 | 615 | 194 |
| 2000-2008 | 354 | 174 |
Note: Literary anthologies featured short fiction.
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