State Library of NSW

The Man from Snowy River, 1895

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Original manuscript of Banjo Paterson’s famous poem

Movement at the Station

The Man from Snowy River, 1895The man from Snowy River is probably the most famous Australian poem of all time. It is the story of a valuable colt’s escape from the station yard, the frenzied chase to bring it back, and how this was single-handedly achieved by the brilliant horsemanship of the unnamed Man from Snowy River.

It was first published in The Bulletin on 26 April 1890. A. B. Paterson (1864–1941) had published it under the pseudonym, ‘The Banjo’, the name of a racehorse owned by his family. In October 1895, the newly established publisher, Angus & Robertson, had its first publishing success when it published a number of Paterson’s poems titled The man from Snowy River and other verses. The book sold out in a week and Paterson, now revealed to be the author, became an instant celebrity. It established the bushman as an archetypal figure in the Australian imagination and is the most successful volume of Australian poetry ever published.

This is the original manuscript written by Paterson in 1895 for publication in book form, in which he slightly varied the text as published in The Bulletin.
Display item The Man from Snowy River, 1895

 

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