True, there are parts of Lawson's biography that are depressing, primarily his last years, and if you're concerned about that risk then skip it.

However, after reading some of Lawson's poetry I really felt a need to know something more about the man and the life he lived, the experience that his poetry grew out of, for better or worse.

And now Bob has reminded me that I don't have "the magnificent 3-volume Collected Verse of Henry Lawson by Colin Roderick." That's really depressing, and more so with regard to my bank account. Maybe it's in paperback...

Cheerily,
Charley Noble