Signs of Australia: Vintage signs from the city to the outback

Once upon a simpler time, hand-painted and hand-crafted signs brought colour and vibrancy to Australian towns and cities - advertising everything from dining rooms, milk bars and CWA halls to Peter''s ice cream, oatmeal, stout, Chinese restaurants and Shelley''s famous drinks. Now faded and slowly disappearing they tell the story of life over two centuries, recording a distinctly Australian vernacular language.

A keen photographer of the everyday, Brady Michaels has recorded an impressive array of signs across Australia - from the earliest ads for household goods and services, to more recent but now defunct video lending libraries and internet cafes.

These beautifully composed and nostalgic images are accompanied by brief commentary by Dale Campisi who ponders the significance of these fading and disappearing signs - artful, kitsch and sometimes hilarious - lovingly preserved through Brady''s lens.

Sales Points

• Beautifully composed, artistic, nostalgic photographs of vintage signs from across Australia, telling a visual story of the past 200 years.
• This beautiful book will appeal to Australians and tourists alike - it crosses the travel, gift/souvenir as well as the art/design markets with its singular aesthetic.
• It''s fun. Authors have a great eye for the quirky, the striking and the out-of-the ordinary.
• They have visited countless towns near and far, across the whole country, including some that consist of little more than a forlorn sign.
• It''s unique - there are no other books on Australian vintage signage available.
• Authors, who brand themselves ''The Gents'', are well-known in Victoria and Tasmania (they established the souvenir store Melbournalia) and are the authors of the HardieGrant books Melbourne Precincts and Explore Australia.
• Will tap into the nostalgia market as full of images from bygone eras that evoke strong emotions and memories, esp. for Baby Boomers and older Australians.

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