Roughnecks, rolling stones & rouseabouts : with an anthology of early swagger literature / John A. Lee.

A world on unstandarised men -- The swaggers' hut -- The swaggers' camp and Concertina Joe -- They died along the tracks -- The tin billy and pannikin -- The hardy bushwacker -- Wagoners -- The gold days -- Barney Whiterats -- John the Baptist's round of inspection -- The Shiner was the most famous -- Henry Lawson -- The Hon. John Burke O'Brien -- The Flower of Wheat -- Who was Peter Gray? -- A taller tale of the tall country -- Escalation and evasion -- A dentist called Brew -- Canterbury Jack wins a family -- The faith killer -- Sunk, all hands on board -- Tit for tat -- The terror of Riversdale -- All the world's a stage.

'I heard you were dead, Shiner, ' the farmer said. 'So did I. So did I, ' the Shiner replied. 'But I never believed it.' This was the Shiner - his exploits in fact, and his fancied exploits are New Zealand folk stories. Before New Zealand ceased to be a physical frontier, characters abounded. Few were better known than Barney Whiterats, the roadside entrepreneur, who carried his performing white mice around along with his magic lantern. Children would sight the bent and bandy old man coming down the road and plague their parents for pennies to see the show. In those days pennies were more scarce than entertainers. These characters and many more come to life again in the pages of Roughnecks, Rolling Stones & Rouseabouts. The times have gone forever but John A. Lee's stirring account preserves a fascinating side of our country's story.