Philip Jones, 'Ochre and Rust: Artefacts and Encounters on Australian Frontiers' (Wakefield Press, 2007): a review article by Russell McDougall

Abstract

Wakefield Press (Adelaide, S.A.) is regrettably extraordinary these days, an independent Australian book publisher with a mission to publish "good stories" and "beautiful books." 'Ochre and Rust' fulfils that mission admirably. The publisher celebrates its twenty-first birthday this year, and its mission statement actually undersells its achievement, for Wakefield Press has published over six hundred titles in that period, some even hitting bestseller lists, and has regularly won literary, design and production awards. As the winner of both the inaugural Prime Minister's Literary Award for Non-Fiction and the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory's History Book Award in 2008, 'Ochre and Rust' has been much lauded already. But neither "history" nor even "non-fiction" in fact catches the wide importance of this remarkable book.