Chapter 4 covers the destruction of Aboriginal society; the effects of disease, massacres and brutality documented by references from contemporary sources.

Unique in its field, exhaustive in scope, the Oxford Companion to Australian Literature offers a comprehensive account of Australian writing from European settlement in 1788 to the 1990s. It presents the most important achievements in the fields of fiction, poetry, and drama, and also covers non-fictional prose in journals, diaries, biographies, and autobiographies, and the impact of key historical events on Australian literature. Fully revised and updated, the second edition contains 500 new entries, bringing the total to 3050, reflects the greater influence and volume of women's and multicultural writing, and includes major new articles on crime fiction and the immigrant experience. Written in clear and accessible language, this major reference belongs on the shelf of every library and every lover of world literature.