'Australian Book Collectors charts the lives and fascinating collecting careers of more than a hundred bibliophiles who lived during the first two completed centuries of Australia's history, first as a disparate group of British colonies, and then as an independent commonwealth. Biographical accounts of the collectors are given, together with details of their collecting careers, outlines of the collections and of their fates. Some of the collectors were also authors, and in those cases their major works are noted. Provenance is an important focus of the book, and attention is given to available information on the bookplates, booklabels, shelf marks, signatures and other marks of ownership employed by the collectors.' (Publisher's blurb)