The Old Country

George Seddon AM is an Emeritus Professor of Environmental Science at the University of Melbourne and a Senior Research Associate at the University of Western Australia. He has held chairs in four disciplines and taught in universities across Europe and North America. His recent books include Landprints: Reflections on Place and Landscape (Cambridge University Press, 1996).

'George Seddon is Australia's finest placewriter. He combines a light touch with a sureness of foot. The result is a clarity of insight as striking as a Freemantle summer's day. This book offers itself as a companion to the journey that we call Australia. Seddon's achievement is of the finest kind - he connects, but he also speaks with an honesty and precision that is breathtaking.' Peter Beilharz, La Trobe University

• 1. Introduction; 2. First encounters; 3. The Boab; 4. Learning; 5. The Conifers; 6. The Banksias; 7. Mediterraneity; 8. On being deciduous; 9. By design; 10. Weeds; Epilogue.