No comprehensive bibliography of the works of Joan Lindsay has been published, although a listing of her major works can be found in The Bibliography of Australian Literature (vol. 3, K-P) and on AustLit (http://www.austlit.edu.au). Set out below is an interim listing of all known works by her. Much remains to be located, e.g. full details of her contributions to the Melbourne Herald and Sun, and to the Illustrated Tasmanian Mail.
I would like to acknowledge the assistance given in the preparation of this bibliography by John Arnold, David Critchley and Chris Wood.
iii. Contributions to Journals, Magazines and Newspapers
Note: unless otherwise indicated, items which appeared before 1922 were published under the name Joan Weigall.
“The Giant White Gum Tree” Little Folks 76, 1912, p.394 – this follows a commendation of a drawing of a gum tree by Joan Weigall (in Little Folks 69, March 1909, p.302).
“Their Prologue” (with Dorothy Watson) The Cluthan, 1, 1, May 1914, pp.5–6. Poem.
“Library Notes” (with E. Beggs) The Cluthan, 1, 1, May 1914, pp.10–11. Essay.
“On Leaving School” The Cluthan, 1, 2, December 1914, pp.15–16. Essay.
“Verses” (by J.W.) The Cluthan, 1, 3, May 1915, p.2. Two poems (“One Pommy to Another” and “The Dead Don't Complain”).
“Clyde Dramatic Club” The Cluthan, 1, 4, December 1915, p.15.
“The Wheels of Time” The Cluthan 1, 6, December 1916, p.8. Unsigned poem, possibly by Joan Weigall.
“Clyde Old Girls’ Association” The Cluthan 1,7, May 1917, pp.3–5. Reprinted in The Chronicles of Clyde by Olga J. Hay in collaboration with M. Olive Reed, Melbourne: Brown Prior Anderson, 1966, pp.49–50.
“Mrs Barbara Baynton” The Home September 1920, p.3. Biographical sketch.
“Holiday” The Home 5, 2, 1923, p.28. Short story.
“Yellow Roses” The Home 5, 5, 1924, pp.42, 50, 54. Short story.
“Melba's Wonderful Farewell” Herald 14 October 1924. Text by Joan Lindsay, illustrated by Daryl Lindsay.
“The Awakening” Table Talk Annual, Christmas 1924, pp.42–3, 64. Short story, illustrated by Daryl Lindsay.
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“Pavlova Rehearses” The Home 1 May 1926. Essay.
“A Landscape in Words” Art in Australia, 3rd series, 17, September 1926, pp.55–6. Essay.
“Art in Melbourne” Triad 13, 3, March 1927, pp.23, 26. Unsigned.
“Mr Harrison's Pictures” Argus 22 March 1927, p.14.
“Mr H. B. Harrison's Pictures” Australasian 26 March 1927, p.791. Different article to previous entry.
“Australian Art: 1 – Melbourne; II – Mr Rupert Bunny”. Triad 13, 4, April 1927, pp.18–19. Unsigned.
“Australian Art” New Triad 1, 1, August 1927, pp.76–7. Unsigned.
“Westbury: a village of dreams come true, by a Victorian” Mercury (Hobart) 13 March 1928.
“Tasmania: wonderful natural heritage: a revelation of beauty, by a Mainland Visitor” Mercury 26 March 1928.
“Tasmania through an Artist's Eyes: Mrs Daryl Lindsay visits art exhibition” Weekly Courier (Launceston) April 1928, p.4. Also includes a brief biographical sketch of Lindsay: “A Well Known Artist and Writer” by ‘Nina’.
“Best Dressed Actress on English Stage: Margaret Bannerman interviewed for the Courier” Weekly Courier 16 May 1928, p. 4.
“Australia's Great Artist Knight: an interview with Sir John Longstaff’ Weekly Courier 23 May 1928, p. 4.
“A Victorian Flower Farm and Its Fair Farmer” Weekly Courier 6 June 1928, p.4.
“An Interview with Sir Archibald Strong” Weekly Courier 20 June 1928, p.4.
“An Interview with Mrs Stanley Bruce” Weekly Courier 4 July 1928, p 4.
“A Talk about Antique Furniture: new lamps for old, especially if they are of Georgian design” Weekly Courier 25 July 1928, p. 17.
“An Interview with ‘Margot Neville’” Weekly Courier 15 August 1928, p. 17.
“Coombe Cottage” Table Talk 15 November 1928. Essay on Melba's house.
“Some Sydney Impressions” by Beckett Lindsay (pseud) The Home November 1929, pp. 44, 89, 91.
“The Passing of Saint Valentine” The Home 1 February 1930, pp. 48–9. Unsigned essay.
“On Spruiking in Melbourne” by B. L. (pseud) The Home 1 August 1930, pp. 23–4.
“Re-enter Mushrooms” by B. L. (pseud) The Home 1 August 1930, pp 70, 72.
“To G.W.L.” by Beckett Lindsay (pseud) Art in Australia, 3rd series, 33, August-September 1930, p.[4]. Poem.
“Some Nasty People” by Beckett Lindsay (pseud) The Home 1 September 1930, p. 30. Poem.
“An Old Time Horse Bus” by B. Lindsay (pseud) The Home 1 October 1930, pp. 37–8.
“Synthetic Shopping” by Beckett Lindsay (pseud) The Home 1 April 1931, pp. 69, 72. Essay.
“‘Where the Rainbow Ends’ – (in Bourke Street). Famous Book Arcade Victim of the Wrecker” by Beckett Lindsay (pseud). [Herald?] 1932, p.42. Demolition of Cole's Book Arcade.
“Return Ticket and No Plans: no. 1” (with Daryl Lindsay as were nos. 2–9 as follows) Herald 18 September 1937, p. 31.
“No. 2: A City without Women” 25 September 1937, p.34.
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“No. 3: Where Goats Wear Muzzles” 2 October 1937, p.33.
“No. 3 [sic, i.e.4]: Naples Is Now Painfully Clean” 9 October 1937, p.35.
“No. 5: Ragusa – Playground for Royalty” 16 October 1937, p.31.
“No. 6: A Run round the Adriatic” 13 November 1937, p.35.
“No. 7: Finding a Bed in Jugoslavia” 20 November 1937, p.38.
“No. 8: Venice Lovely…the Lido a Washout” 4 December 1937, p.37.
“No. 9: Blue Danube Is Green” 18 December 1937, p.36.
“English Afternoon Tea” The Home, 1 Sept 1938, p. 23.
“Intimacies in Print: Russell Grimwade” Australia: National Journal, 2, Spring 1939. Essay.
“General Blamey” Australia: National Journal, 3, Summer 1939. Essay.
“A Modern of the Nineties. George Moore: literary craftsman” by J.L. Age [1942?]. Essay.
“Notable Display of Sir J. Longstaff's Art” Herald 23 May 1942. Review.
“Exhibition of Burdett Collection” Herald 17 June 1942. Review.
“Hugh Ramsay's Paintings at Loan Show” Herald 15 March 1943. Review.
“Indian Judge Reflects on Color Bar” by Joan (pseud.) Sun [ca. 1946]. Review of Letters of an Indian Judge to an English Gentlewoman.
“A Possum Party” Sun 22 September 1950. Essay.
“A Chance to Help” Herald [1951?]. Letter to the Editor concerning the plight of the homeless.
“Still Life by Constance Stokes” by J.L. Quarterly Bulletin of the National Gallery of Victoria v, 3, 1951, p.[7].
“Station Blacks, Cape York by Russell Drysdale; Three Wise Men by Michael Kmit” Quarterly Bulletin of the National Gallery of Victoria viii, 2, 1954, pp.[6–7].
“Frederick McCubbin: 1855–1917”. Quarterly Bulletin of the National Gallery of Victoria ix, 2, 1955, pp.[2–3].
“Letter from the President” Quarterly Bulletin of the Arts & Crafts Society of Victoria Limited no.1, February 1962, p 2. A letter from Joan Lindsay, as President, appeared on p.2 of the next 12 issues of the Bulletin, to February 1965 inclusive (except for August 1963, when she was overseas).
“Annual Report – Lady Lindsay”
Quarterly Bulletin of the Arts & Crafts Society of Victoria Limited no.2, May 1962, p 7. Her Annual Report also appeared in the May 1963 (
pp. 6–
7) and May 1964 (
pp. 4–
5) issues.
“Afternoon at the Moore's” Quarterly Bulletin of the Arts & Crafts Society of Victoria Limited no.9, February 1964, p 2–4. Account of a visit to the English sculptor, Henry Spencer Moore.
“Victorian Victorians” Australian Book Review 4, 5, March 1965, p.81. Review of Witness to Things Past.
“A L'Ombre” Australian Book Review 4, 9, July 1965, p.160. Review of Annabella Boswell's Journal.
“An Evening with Angela” Australian Book Review 4, 9, July 1965, p.162. Article on Angela Thirkell.
“Feminine Bloomers” Australian Book Review 4, 12, October 1965, p.234. Review of Petticoat Parade.
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“Alley Stare Mawson” Australian Book Review 5, 2&3, December-January 1965, p. 52. Review of Let Stalk Strine.
“Social Swaggie” Australian Book Review 5, 9, July 1966, p.174. Review of Humping My Bluey.
“Art Nouveau & Uncle Ted” Quarterly Bulletin of the Arts & Crafts Society of Victoria Limited November 1966, pp. 3–4. Essay on her uncle Ted àBeckett.
“Pretty Cocky!” [Age?] 1971. Poem.
“Good with Cats” Bulletin 101, 5221, 22 July 1980, pp.73–75. Short story.
“Student Days” Overland no. 98, April 1985, pp.59–63. Memoir.
Note: the reason for the lack of complete publication details for some of the newspaper articles and reviews listed above is that the information given is taken from inadequately annotated clippings. In addition, many clippings of book and art reviews by Lindsay, with no annotations whatsoever, are held in the Cathy Peake papers at NLA and the Joan Lindsay papers at SLV. These reviews are not listed above. Some of them are almost certainly from the “What Are You Reading? – by Joan” column in the Melbourne Sun, while others are probably from the Herald, with perhaps a few from the Age and the Argus. They are mostly reviews of books by overseas authors, although works by a few Australian authors are included, e.g. Alan Marshall's These Are My People; Murder in Rockwater by Margot Neville; Man-Shy and Dusty by Frank Dalby Davison; The Roaring Nineties by Katharine Susannah Prichard. In addition, there is an unannotated cutting of a poem, “Melbourne Sunday” by Beckett Lindsay (pseud).
v. Selected Unpublished Writings
Note: copies of most of these works are held in the Cathy Peake Papers at the National Library of Australia (MS8991) and/or the Joan Lindsay Papers at the State Library of Victoria (on loan from the National Trust).
“Mrs Buster Annual Report of World Philanthropy” by Nancy and Joan [Weigall][191-?]. Illustrated. Satire.
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“Picture of a Dancer” by Lindsay Ryan (pseud.) [192-]. 60pp. Novel by Joan Lindsay and Maie Casey, often referred to as “Anna,” but variously titled in later versions “Story of Anna” “Portrait of Anna,” “Picture of Anna,” and “Portrait of a Dancer”.
“Art Conceals Art: Neo-Pantechnicist's Exhibition: notes” by Mr Vandyck Browne (pseud). [1920].
“Wolf! A drama in three acts” by Margot Neville and Beckett Lindsay (pseud.). 1930. 86p. Performed at the Grand Theatre, Swanage, England, May 1930 (Note: included in the papers held at both NLA and SLV is the theatre programme for the performance of “Wolf!” in 1930 by the Swanage Repertory Company).
“Spring Tangle: a comedy in three acts” by Beckett Lindsay (pseud.). [ca 1935?]. 141pp.
“Cataract: a drama in three acts” by Beckett Lindsay (pseud.). [ca 1940?]. 181pp.
“My Kingdom for a Chocolate Blancmange! A tragedy in fifty thousand acts. With apologies to William Shakespeare, Thornton Wilder and some very fine artists” [1948?]. 8pp. Playlet written for Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh.
“Floreat Anglesea: a play in one act” [ca 1950?]. 9p. Playlet written for Professor Joseph Burke and family.
“This Modern Art: a sketch in one act” [1951].17p. Playlet performed at the Lyceum Club, Melbourne.
“Pondelayo II”. 1956. Unfinished revised version of Through Darkest Pondelayo.
“Love at the Billabong”. 1978. 66p. Unfinished novel.
“Alma Road”. [1979]. Unfinished autobiographical memoir.
“Love and Information”. 1982. 43p. Novella.
Also included in the papers held at SLV and NLA are many unpublished poems, short stories, children's stories, fragments of novels and plays, articles, and talks to various groups. Of particular interest among the poems is “Your Valentine” (dated 14 February 1912).
