{"product_id":"2026770001056-secondhand-the-parish-of-st-mels-and-other-verses","title":"The Parish of St Mel's and Other Verses","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition remarks:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBook: Good                          \u003cbr\u003eJacket: Chipped and worn with some minor damage\u003cbr\u003ePages: Good                  \u003cbr\u003eMarkings: No markings\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this heartwarming and historically rich posthumous anthology, legendary Australian bush poet \"John O'Brien\" delivers The Parish of St Mel's and Other Verses, a beautiful celebration of rural identity and community spirit. Following the immense cultural legacy of his landmark 1921 collection Around the Boree Log, this volume captures the shifting rhythms of early-to-mid 20th-century Australian bush life. Writing under his celebrated pseudonym, Father Patrick Joseph Hartigan weaves a narrative steeped in the gentle humor, mateship, and resilient faith of Irish-Catholic pioneer settlers navigating the vast outback.\n\nThe Parish of St Mel's stands as a vital primary document for collectors of regional Australian literature and social folklore. Hartigan’s verse expertly straddles two eras—evoking nostalgic imagery of rustic horse-drawn buggies and remote country schoolhouses while simultaneously chronicling a rapidly modernizing world populated by trucks, curate motorbikes, and mechanical workshops. Enhanced throughout by the beautifully expressive, vintage line illustrations of artist Bonar Dunlop, this scarce 1954 first edition hardback, complete with its original characterful dust jacket, offers a timeless and deeply affectionate window into the heart of the Australian wilderness.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Secondhand Stock","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48826077511899,"sku":"2026770001056-SECONDHAND","price":15.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0523\/7646\/9701\/files\/e678a04f-b682-4d1e-8e43-835a8ab81913.png?v=1780312163","url":"https:\/\/bookgrocer.com\/products\/2026770001056-secondhand-the-parish-of-st-mels-and-other-verses","provider":"Book Grocer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}