Cirrus@Austlit

Island Press was established by Philip Roberts to publish new Australian poetry. He began in 1970 with a Jewel treadle platen press and produced a number of hand-set and hand-printed collections of verse, including the annual volume Poets Choice, which was published 1970-1979. From 1976 Roberts acquired a mechanical typesetter and had his printing done at Southwood Press in Marrickville.

When Philip Roberts returned to Canada in 1979 he gave the Press to Philip Hammial who continued to publish 'small press poetry' in spite of financial adversity until 1988, when the Press ceased for a period. It was revived by Hammial and Leith Morton and Les Wicks in 1992 as a publishing co-operative.