{"product_id":"2026770001072-secondhand-contemporary-portraits","title":"Contemporary Portraits","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition remarks:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBook: Good                          \u003cbr\u003eJacket: No dust jacket\u003cbr\u003ePages: Good                  \u003cbr\u003eMarkings: No markings\u003cbr\u003eCondition remarks: Condition as shown in image\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA rare and significant debut, Contemporary Portraits and Other Stories represents the first collection of short fiction by the celebrated Australian author Murray Bail. Originally published by the University of Queensland Press in 1975, this volume was primarily issued as a paperback, making this scarce casebound edition—intended for library use—a highly sought-after item for collectors of Australian literary history.\n\nBail’s stories are noted for their intellectual rigor, blending philosophical inquiry with playful experimentation in form and language. This collection features foundational pieces such as \"The Drover's Wife\" and \"Heubler,\" which showcase Bail’s unique ability to reinvent Australian archetypes and explore the boundaries of perspective. For enthusiasts of mid-20th-century Australian letters, this edition serves as a quintessential artifact of a writer who would go on to become one of the nation's most distinctive literary voices.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Secondhand Stock","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48826063421659,"sku":"2026770001072-SECONDHAND","price":15.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0523\/7646\/9701\/files\/bf4cc611-0785-4bd3-a492-49fda025254f.png?v=1780311864","url":"https:\/\/bookgrocer.com\/products\/2026770001072-secondhand-contemporary-portraits","provider":"Book Grocer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}