An Australian history of the practical man -- 'Every man can write at least one book' -- The 'practical man': myth and metaphor in Anglo-Australian science -- The practical politician -- The practical man as hero? technical education in New South Wales in the 1870s and 1880s -- Old school ties and silver spoons: a statistical footnote from darkest Victoria -- Penalty and policy: Griffith and the limits of law reform in colonial Queensland -- The Historical Society of Australasia 1885-86 -- A note on nineteenth century historians and their histories: 1819-1896
