1910 The Great Longing by Alan D. Mickle Antique Australian Literature Book

Across seventeen chapters, Mickle considers the art of living, the will to express, conscience, passion, hope and fear, faith, evil, the "super-man," and the contrasting figures of the man of action, the man of thought and the poet. Later essays examine posterity, an ideal "Modern Eden," religion, socialism and prayer. His central image compares successive human generations to coral steadily building upwards towards the light, each adding to the achievements of those who came before and labouring for the benefit of the world yet to come.

First published in August 1910, the work is an interesting example of early Australian philosophical and social commentary, combining literary prose with discussions of morality, belief, individual endeavour and human progress. This first edition was issued in Melbourne by Thomas C. Lothian, in association with the Walter Scott Publishing Company of England, and retains its handsome original blue cloth binding with embossed Art Nouveau decoration and gilt titles."