| Book Review | Labour History, 95 | The History Cooperative

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BOOK REVIEW

*D. Langmore (ed.), Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 17, 1981–1990, A-K,* Melbourne University Press, Carlton, Vic, 2007. pp. xxxii + 645. $100 cloth.**
For labour historians the publication of a new volume of the Australian Dictionary of Biography is a bitter sweet experience. On the one hand, we can celebrate the meticulous scholarship and the uniformly high quality of the entries. At the same time, labour historians can but lament the silences and omissions in what is still basically an elite enterprise. As a consequence, this review is both a celebration and a loud complaint.	1
For the student of twentieth century Australian history, this volume contains many riches. Among many splendid vignettes a couple will serve to illustrate the manifold virtues of this magnificent work of reference. Particularly enjoyable was David Dunstan's portrait of the pugnacious Victorian Premier, Henry Bolte. Dunstan explores Bolte's halting entry into politics, his canny rise through the liberal ranks and the vicissitudes of his long incumbency on the government benches in Spring Street. The article contains many reminders of Bolte's belligerent quips and his bloody-minded conservatism, as well as his disarmingly common touch. The piece is not purely descriptive but analytical and appropriately judgemental. Another splendid entry from the opposite end of the political spectrum is Stuart MacIntyre's brief account of the life of Ralph Gibson. From a relatively privileged background and education Gibson spent almost 40 years in the thankless (and poorly paid) job of full time apparatchik. MacIntyre offers a vivid picture of the archetypal party loyalist, undertaking tasks with 'brisk efficiency' and upholding a 'chilling communist morality'. There are many other entries that might have been highlighted. The retiring editor, Di Langmore, is to be congratulated on maintaining the high benchmark for scholarship and quality writing established by the distinguished editors of the previous 16 volumes.	. . .

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