Richard Appleton was an Australian poet, author, editor and encyclopaedist.

• AcknowledgementsIntroduction 1. And then, to the Lincoln2. Three was a crowd3. Only two kinds of people in this world4. And back to the Lincoln5. My time in the Communist Party6. At the Golden Cabbage7. From the Push to the bush8. To the Tudor again9. Hot work – if you can get it10. Melbourne interludes – I11. Melbourne interludes – II12. Of divorce, copulation and death13. Under the bridge14. Trots (with) Ky15. Darlington days16. Pluralism and propositions17. Katoomba: problems, protests and progeny18. Soft Labor in the Blue Mountains19. The encyclopaedist charmed20. Matrimonial blues21. The encyclopaedist un-charmed22. Hard Labor in Sydney’s Inner West23. The encyclopaedist outcast24. A discordant duet of swan-songs25. Penultimatums26. The last wordNotesIndex

‘Appleton’s life, told here in such an entertaining fashion, is not only emblematic of the Push but, in many ways, emblematic of a large number of intelligent, sleepwalking urban males who grew up after World War II … It is a very important and illuminating social and historical document and, because Appleton is a poet, it is beautifully written.’