The Man from Snowy River

by A.B. Paterson

Over 40 ballads of the bushland of Australia

Genres: Poetry, Australia, Classics, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Picture Books, Childrens

123 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1895

About the author

Andrew Barton 'Banjo' Paterson was an Australian poet, ballad writer, journalist and horseman. See also Banjo Paterson.

A. B. 'Banjo' Paterson, known as Barty to his family, was born Andrew Barton Paterson at Narrambla, near Orange on 17 February 1864. His parents, Andrew Bogle and Rose Isabella Paterson were graziers on Illalong station in the Yass district.

Paterson's early education took place at home under a governess and then at the bush school in Binalong, the nearest township. From about the age of ten years he attended the Sydney Grammar School. He lived with his grandmother in Gladesville and spent the school holidays at Illalong station with his family.

After completing school the 16-year-old Paterson was articled to a Sydney firm of solicitors, Spain and Salway. He was admitted as a solicitor in 1886 and formed the legal partnership, Street and Paterson. During these years Paterson began publishing verse in the Bulletin and Sydney Mail under the pseudonyms 'B' and 'The Banjo'.

In 1895, at the age of 31 and still in partnership with Street, Andrew Barton Paterson achieved two milestones in Australian writing. He composed his now famous ballad 'Waltzing Matilda' and his first book, The Man from Snowy River, and other verses, was published by Angus & Robertson, marking the beginning of an epoch in Australian publishing. This hallmark publication sold out its first edition within a week and went through four editions in six months, making Paterson second only to Kipling in popularity among living poets writing in English. His poetry continues to sell well today and is available in many editions, some of which are illustrated.

Paterson travelled to South Africa in 1899 as special war correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald during the Boer War, and to China in 1901 with the intention of covering the Boxer Rebellion but he arrived after the uprising was over. By 1902 Paterson had left the legal profession. The following year he was appointed Editor of the Evening News (Sydney), a position he held until 1908 when he resigned to take over a property in Wee Jasper.

In 1903 he married Alice Walker in Tenterfield. Their first home was in Queen Street, Woollahra. The Patersons had two children, Grace born in 1904 and Hugh born in 1906.

During World War I Paterson sailed to Europe hoping for an appointment as war correspondent. Instead, during the course of the war he was attached as an ambulance driver to the Australian Voluntary Hospital in France and was commissioned to the 2nd Remount Unit of the AIF. He was eventually promoted to Major.

In Australia again he returned to journalism, retiring in 1930. He was created CBE in 1939. At the time of his death on 5 February 1941 his reputation as the principal folk poet of Australia was secure. His body of work included seven volumes of poetry and prose in many editions, a collection The Collected Verse of A.B. Paterson (1923), a book for children The Animals Noah Forgot (1933), and an anthology The Old Bush Songs (1905), in addition to his many pieces of journalism and reportage.

Paterson's role in Australian culture has been celebrated on the Australian $10 note.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pu5byI...

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love A.B Patterson. The Man from Snowy River is one of his best poems that tells such a great story with such some vivid imagery.

[Christian West · Rating 4 out of 5]

The poem is the poem, but the illustrations in this version are strangely alluring - soft paint strokes and some unusual textures. An obvious horse book for my challenge to read 50 horse books in 2018.

[John Yelverton · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a nice enough poem, but I can honestly say, probably for the only time in my life, that the film was better.

[Bob Mendelsohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a non-native Australian, this book of poems was foreign for so many reasons. The references to all things bush and all the imagery lacing Banjo Paterson's verse made things difficult, but I suppose reading XVI Shakespeare was similarly "outculture" for me.

What I did like was the scenery and the empathy that Paterson had for his land, his people, his all-things Aussie.

I borrowed this book from a church library in Perth and returned it to the good folks at Mosaic Church (formerly South Perth Baptist) this Sunday. I'm very grateful to them for having it, for loaning it to me, and for their being the kind of place I think Banjo would have enjoyed as well.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated edition by Freya Blackwood.
The iconic Australian poem, illustrated for children.
I've read horses in the Snowy Mountains foothills, sometimes in the snow with the Bushies and this poem was one of the things that was often at the top of my mind, that and wondering how sure footed my mount was that I was riding each time. I've never seen the brumbies while on horseback myself, only from the car while travelling the dirt road on the Peppercorn plain near Yarrangobilly Caves, trying out the backroads to home.
I picked this copy up for my baby grandson and look forward to reading it to him soon.

[William Hart · Rating 1 out of 5]

Phooey! Not a novel or even coherent story, but a collection of long rambling poems that barely rhyme filled with arcane 'out back' Australian cowboy lingo. Different strokes for different folks, I'm not "Bad Mouthing" the book, just not what I was looking for, I'm deleting this one from my downloads.

[Gabby Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are very unique and I love how they show the horses in motion. The langue techniques used are really worth talking about, such as the expanded noun phrases and the rhyme. The storyline also keeps the reader on their seat and very interested

[Simone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Banjo Paterson is one of my favorite poets and i recommend his works to everyone. The man from Snowy River is one of my favorite poems of his and i can clearly imagine the chase of the wild stallions through the australian mountains.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful reading 📚

Excellent Australian poetry that is will written with the Australian dialect and slang. Each story is interesting about characters. I would recommend this novella to anyone looking for something new. Enjoy reading 🔰2021 😃

[Kelly Higgins · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of poems that had funny, sad, inspiring poems.

[Mr. Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Man from Snowy River" is definitely one of the greatest narrative poems ever written. There are some other very good ones included in this volume as well. Worth the read.

[K · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you can get this in audiobook I recommend that, it’s nice to pick out the story among the rhymes and such. Make sure it’s an audiobook that can follow the beat of the words though.

[X24k · Rating 1 out of 5]

bad

[Kylie Abecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

For some reason I’ve never been a real fan of this tale, though the pictures truly make this book spectacular, the story still wasn’t able to capture my heart.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book of ballad style poems set in the outback of Australia

[Danielle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Way too long and complex for a child. Boring illustrations too.

[Tilly Johannessen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely poem. Sometimes I lose focus as it’s fairly long, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy it.
The pictures are so incredibly beautiful. I love looking at the horses running.

[Lou Hughes · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I listened to The Man from Snowy River a few days ago as an audiobook, and… I’m gonna be honest—I have no idea what actually happened. There were horses. There was a guy. I think something dramatic occurred involving a ride through the mountains? But the plot kind of galloped past me before I could get my footing.

The narration was fine, and the rhythm of the language had a nice, rugged poetry to it. If I had any idea what was going on, I might’ve liked it more. But as it stands, it mostly felt like I was eavesdropping on a very intense horse-related situation without context.

Two stars because it sounded cool, but I needed a guide, a summary, and maybe a map to figure out what was actually going on.

Might re-listen someday.

[Jack Kirby and the X-man · Rating 3 out of 5]

I grew up reading Mulga Bill's Bicycle, a poem by A.B. Paterson (better known as Banjo Paterson) - which was brilliantly illustrated by Kilmeny Niland & Deborah Niland and has thus been continuously in print since it came out in 1973. I was thus excited that another of Banjo's poems has been illustrated - increasing its accessability for the younger audience.

The poem itself is a classic, and in this incarntion it remains gloriously unabridged - if you are just interested in the poem you can download it for free from Project Gutenberg. It has been turned into:
* A 1920 film
* A more famous 1982 film and a 1988 sequel
* A 1993-1996 TV series
and most recently an "Arena Spectacular"

I don't think that Freya Blackwood's illustrations are as effective as Kilmeny Niland & Deborah Niland's Mulga Bill's Bicycle. I remember the illustrations of Mulga Bill significantly added to the humour of the poem, while I feel that Freya's doesn't add to the drama of the downhill ride. That being said I think the illustrations will enable the poem to be enjoyed by a younger audience, and for that purpose they are more than satisfactory.

So for the poem I would give 4 stars - the illustrations 2, thus the 3 star rating.

[Gabrielle Bacon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great poem that reads easily as a story.

[Garth Mailman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ten years or so past I went looking to find the poem that inspired the Tom Burlison movie, The Man from Snowy River. After a Google or related search discovered I could download Banjo Patterson’s book for free from Gutenberg Press. The .zip file led me to download and install µBook Reader to cope with the file. After reading the titular poem I put the book aside until just recently. Anyone who has sung Waltzing Matilda whether drunk or sober knows that Aussies particularly those in the Outback where these poems are set have unique colloquial expressions many of which only loosely translate into common English and Patterson uses a lot of them. The poems are written in rhyming couplets a style that seems all to quaint in this age of blank verse. They benefit from being read aloud. No one will mistake this verse for Tennyson or Wordsworth but it is well worth a read.

[Leonie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this poem and was thrilled that they hadn't abridged it too much or dumbed it down for the children's version. I was also surprised at how much of it I remembered from having had to learn it as a child. Paterson really does distill the essence of Australia and put it into his poetry and the illustrations bring the thrill and movement of a wild brumby heard being rounded up.

This book was one of four classic Australian stories my big sister gave my baby girl for her first Christmas and I confess that I choked up while reading it to her for the first time.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always loved this picture book - Paterson's compelling words about the colt from old Regret that got away, and the chase to bring it back from its escape to the wild brumby pack and treacherous mountain terrain. Freya Blackwood's illustrations are rich and sinuous and bring the poem to life - her pictures move with the speed and passion of the text, the colours often blurring on the page as the colt and brumby pack try to outrun the intrepid and brave Man from Snowy River.

[Rissie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the imagery. It reminded me of a National Geographic article about Banjo Paterson from a few years back. The photography matches the poem beautifully. (I have included the link.)

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm...

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always nice to renew one's acquaintance with such an iconic bush poem as this. I'm glad it's been republished and kept fresh for the modern generation. Interesting to see some of Freya Blackwood's early work too.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I consider Paterson's poetry classic. It's beautiful. I have always loved the rugged imagery and rhythm he provides in his writing. this is a book I always fall back on when I find myself in a weary, grey kind of day.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really admire Freya Blackwood's interpretation of this classic Australian poem. The man from Snowy River might be slight and weedy but he surely brings those wild horses home.

[Marina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the movie. But, really, how much can you get into a poem?

[Miss Melly · Rating 4 out of 5]

.....There was movement at the station... Ahhh. You can't call yourself Australian if you haven't read this.

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keen to try learn this off by heart...