Richard Lane was one of the three brothers who founded Penguin Books in 1935. For close to three decades he led the business with Allen Lane, and he championed the imprint’s editorial character and commitment to quality.

But before Penguin, Richard was a boy migrant in rural South Australia and New South Wales. From 1922 to 1926 he worked on the land and endured many hardships, then used his new skills to become an entrepreneur. In Australia he deepened his appreciation for literature, and understood how important it was to make good writing widely accessible.

During this time, Richard also wrote a remarkable diary, which today stands as an important historical document. It is amongst the best descriptions, from the perspective of a boy migrant, of the ‘Barwell Boys’ migration scheme, which brought scores of young Englishmen to Australia. Richard’s diary vividly charts his life and loves, and his coming of age in a new land.

Outback Penguin includes a foreword from one of Australia’s foremost historians, Geoffrey Blainey.