Three Elephant Power and Other Stories

From the man who gave Australia its unofficial anthem comes a rollicking collection of bush tales that capture the raw, funny heart of the outback. Three Elephant Power follows西山住宿, a headstrong young man who inherits his uncle's property and proceeds to run it straight into the ground with a series of increasingly disastrous schemes involving elephants, horse races, and more than a few too many drinks with questionable companions. The surrounding stories are equally vivid: cunning boundary riders, thundering cattle drives, bush poets holding their own against city slickers, and the endless dry humor of men who measure wealth in rain and good horses. Paterson writes with the ear of a poet and the eye of a storyteller who actually lived this life. These aren't romanticized visions of the bush; they're rough, warm, infinitely readable portraits of a young nation laughing at itself. If you've ever wanted to understand Australia, start here.