Max Marginson was a biochemist at Melbourne University. He had a long association with the Australian Book Review, both as editor and reviewer, and played an important role in helping Overland to continue after the death of Stephen Murray-Smith. A memoir, which appeared as a chapter in Hume Dow's More Memories of Melbourne University (1985) records his impressions of growing up in pre-World War ll Melbourne and life at the University in the post-war years.