Historical information

This book has been written by Edward Vidler (1863-1942), a publisher, editor, writer and journalist. He was born in England and was in Geelong in the 1880s where he produced a commemorative volume on that city. He was living in Warrnambool in the early years of the 20th century and was the Secretary of the Warrnambool and District Progress League and the Warrnambool Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He later lived in Melbourne where he edited magazines and published his own and other writings. He was especially interested in the promotion of the arts and was a keen naturalist. He was a foundation member of the group that established the Maranoa Native Gardens in Balwyn, Melbourne.

Significance

The writer of this book, Edward Vidler, was important in the history of Warrnambool for two main reasons:-
1. In 1907 he initiated and organized the establishment of the Warrnambool Pioneer Honour Board featuring portraits of 204 pioneer men. This board still exists.
2. In 1907 he produced a publication called ‘Warrnambool Past and Present – Sixty Years of Progress’. It celebrated the 60th anniversary of the founding of Warrnambool and contained 88 pages, 120 illustrations and photographs and many advertisements. The publication is noted for its historical accuracy, the way it complements and adds to Richard Osburne’s 1887 history of Warrnambool and its presentation of historical material that may otherwise have been lost.
Both of Vidler’s initiatives described above are of the utmost importance in Warrnambool’s history.

Physical description

This is a soft cover book of 270 pages. The cover is green with black printed material on the covers and the spine. The book has a Preface, 24 chapters of text and a Bibliography. There are advertisements for other books on the last page and the back cover. The cover is stained and faded and partly torn in places and some of the inside pages are stained.

Inscriptions & markings

The Australian Debater