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Robert Brough Smyth (1830-1889) emigrated to Australia in 1852 and spent time on the goldfields. He then took various positions with the Victorian survey and mining departments. He resigned all his public offices in 1876, remaining only on the Aborigines Protection Board.

As a Board member Smyth had collected much information on culture and languages of the Aboriginal peoples of Victoria. The book arose from his efforts to gather information and artifacts of Victorian Aboriginal cultures at a time when their vestiges were fast disappearing.

He collected information on various tribes and their customs, as well as their physical and mental character; birth and education of children; marriage; death and burial of the dead; daily lives of the natives; food; diseases; dress and personal ornaments; weapons; implements and manufacturers; nets and fish hooks; methods of producing fire; canoes and myths. Smyth also devoted about two hundred pages to Aboriginal languages, as well as including details and customs of the aborigines in Tasmania.

This two volume set, complete with hundreds of sketches, is a valuable resource not only for those with in an interest in aboriginal culture, but also those wanting to know the early history of Australia.

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