The Dosser in Springtime shows a trend towards the ballad - a form which, while retaining the qualities of lyrical poetry, allows freedom and humour. The world of The Dosser in Springtime is an outdoor Australian world peopled by such beings as bunyips and bishops, cats and lizards and convicts, who, while interesting for their own sakes, symbolize all human aspiration and endeavour. (Publisher's blurb, front cover).