Cirrus@Austlit

'One of my earliest memories is of looking through the pages of Cole's Funny Picture Book. It was the 1979 edition marking the 100th anniversary of a much-loved family classic, reputed to have sold more than a million copies via its many reprints, editions and updates over a century. My parents, grandparents, greatand even great-great-grandparents may well have had a copy of this book. When I received mine, I was a young boy living in rural Tasmania with no concept of the world outside. Cole's Funny Picture Book, with its fantastic illustrations and worldly wisdom, opened my eyes to a dizzying combination of fantasy and reality in a black hardcover package. The front cover was adorned with interlinked rainbows and a promise to 'delight the children and make home happier': it may not have made my broken home happier, but it certainly delighted and inspired me like little else.' (Publication summary)