Australia’s first published …

Published book of verse, 1819

A Barron Field

Barron Field’s book of execrable poems printed for private distribution is the first book of poetry printed in Australia.

Field (1786–1846) took up his position as judge of the Supreme Court of Civil Judicature in 1817 when he arrived from Britain. He opposed trial by jury and a legislative assembly for the Colony and Governor Macquarie regarded him as one of the ‘factious and dissatisfied in New South Wales’.

It was claimed, by Charles Lamb, that Wordsworth and Coleridge were ‘hugely taken’ with the poem ‘Kangaroo’, though, if so, it must have been on an off day. Others have said that his name summed up his literary talents. However, First fruits was republished in 1823, 1941 and 1990, which is better than most first books of poetry achieve.

Only six copies of this rare book are known to exist in Australia. David Scott Mitchell pursued a copy for years and, the story goes, secured one on his deathbed.
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