is published by the state Library of Victoria Foundation twice yearly in Autumn and Spring. Formerly the La Trobe Library Journal, it was published from 1968 to 1997 by the Friends of the State Library (now amalgamated with the State Library of Victoria Foundation).

Editorial Committee: John Barnes (editor), Sandra Burt (assistant to editor), John Arnold, Shane Carmody, Anne Colman, Paul Fox, Yvonne Hurley, Wallace Kirsop.

Editorial address: Editor, The La Trobe Journal, State Library of Victoria Foundation, 328 Swanston Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3000. E-mail: [email protected]

Contributions are invited on scholarly topics and are subject to refereeing.

Opinions expressed in The La Trobe Journal are those of the individual contributors and no responsibility for them is accepted by the Editorial Committee or the State Library of Victoria Foundation.

Copyright of material published in The La Trobe Journal is vested in the author, except where stated otherwise.

Members of the State Library of Victoria Foundation receive The La Trobe Journal free as part of their membership. Membership details are given on the inside back cover. Subscriptions are not available to non-members.

Single copies (when available) may be purchased online through the Library Shop (http://www.statelibrary.vic.gov.au) or directly from the State Library (ask at Foyer Desk).

All photographs in this number of The La Trobe Journal are from the State Library of Victoria, unless stated otherwise. Library photography is by the Photographic Section of the State Library.

Front cover: Sir William Dargie 1912-2003, artist. The Young Recruit. [1933] Oil on canvas. The ‘young recruit’ was the artist's brother, Horrie (Horace Andrew) 1917-1999, who is wearing the uniform of the Signals Corps. Horrie became famous as a jazz musician and leader of the Horrie Dargie Quintet. See the article by Roger Dargie, son of the artist. The painting was donated to the State Library of Victoria by Sir William Dargie in 1990 and is now on display in the Cowen Gallery.

Back cover: Harry Houdini, King of Cards. Poster: photolithograph. ALMA 93.2/71 Will Alma Conjuring Collection. Harry Houdini was the stage name of Ehrick Weiss (1874-1926). Before he became famous as an escapologist and stunt man at the end of the nineteenth century, he had been doing card tricks on stage, and advertised himself as King of Cards.