This selection comprises letters written by Dame Mary over a period of sixty years ... from 'the first one written when she was thiry-one to Henry Lawson from Cosme Colony, Paraguay, in 1896 to the final one sent to Robert D. Fitzgerald from her Kings Cross Flat in 1962'. Dame Mary's letters are arranged chronologically and have been selected for their 'biographical, historical or literary value and interest ... The letters display the unusual scope of her many and widely divergent interests - domestic, political and literary' (Foreword). Recipients include figures from all areas of Australian literary, cultural and political life. The letters are accompanied by an appendix 'People, Publications, Places and Events Mentioned in the Letters' , pp.373-402, and an index.
