History of Australian Science - Overview (1880s - )

Summary

This theme-based entry brings together in the one place all the published bibliographies, which we have been able to locate, that relate to the history of Australian science broadly speaking. They take two forms: those that relate to a specific discipline in a defined time period; and those that deal with the history of Australian science and associated topics more generally. It also covers the landmark events in the ongoing evolution of the use of bibliography as a tool to ensure that society does not lose track of what has gone before. Of particular note, in 1981, is the initiation of a programme of publishing annual bibliographies of the history of Australian science in Historical Records of Australian Science.

Details

Chronology

1889

Event - J.H. Maiden published 'Bibliography of the Chemistry of Indigenous Australian Vegetable Products' - the earliest registered bibliography

1917

Event - W.N. Benson published 'Notes on the geology of the Cradle Mountain district, with a bibliography of the Pleistocene glaciation of Tasmania'

1925

Event - G.M. Mathews published 'The birds of Australia: bibliography of the birds of Australia: books used in the preparation of this work with a few biographical details of authors and collectors'

1932

Event - A. Musgrave published 'Bibliography of Australian entomology, 1775-1930: with biographical notes on authors and collectors' - a first for entomogy and the first bio-bibliography. It could be seen as a model for the Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation

1954

Event - H.M Whittell published 'The Literature of Australian Birds: a History and a Bibliography of Australian Ornithology'

1957

Event - Bryan Gandevia published 'An Annotated Bibliography of the History of Medicine in Australia ' - the first of many in this field

1958

Event - N. Teasdale-Smith published 'Bibliography of South Australian geology'

1962

Event - Ann Mozley (later Moyal) published 'A check list of publications on the history of Australian science' - the first in the general field of history of Australian science

1966

Event - P. Moodie and E.B. Pedersen published 'The health of Australian Aborigines: an annotated bibliography with classifications by subject matter and locality' - the first covering topics concerned with First Nations

1969

Event - N.J.B Plomley published 'An annotated bibliography of the Tasmanian Aborigines' - a landmark publication

1981 - 2002

Event - L. Carlson published the annual 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science' numbers 1-22 in Historical Records of Australian Science

1988

Event - B. Gandevia (editor) published 'Bibiliography of Australian Medicine & Health Services to 1950' (4 volumes)

1990

Event - R.W. Home and P. Needham published 'Physics in Australia to 1945: Bibliography and Biographical Register'

c. 1998

Event - At the instigation of Tim Sherratt Bright Sparcs is expanded to include published resources, includes data from all the existing annual bibliographies of the history of Australian science and takes on the role as home for the subsequent annual bibliographies

1999 - 2005

Event - Gavan McCarthy with Joanne Evans formalises the incorporation of published resources in the Online Heritage Resource Manager (OHRM) which becomes the database curation tool for Bright Sparcs, Australian Science at Work and eventually the Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation

2003 - 2007

Event - J. Horacek published the annual 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science' numbers 23 - 27 in Historical Records of Australian Science

2008

Event - H. Cohn published the annual 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science' numbers 28 - ongoing in Historical Records of Australian Science

2022

Event - The published resources register of the first edition of the Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation reaches 21,588 items

November 2023

Event - The published resources register of the Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation reaches 25,000 items

2026

Event - The published resources register of the Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation reaches 30,000 items

Related entries

Published resources

Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Exhibitions

• Collins, David, Chemistry in 19th Australia - Select Bibliography, An exhibition of the Encyclopedia circa 2005 with assistance from Ailie Smith and Gavan McCarthy., eScholarship Research Centre (original publisher), Melbourne, 2009, https://eoas.info/exhibitions/ciab/ciab_ALL.html. Details

Books

• Bellas, T. E., Insects as a cause of inhalant allergies: a bibliography (Canberra: CSIRO, 1981), 64 pp. Details
• Brown, R. H., A bibliography of Australian plant nematology, 1890 - 1974 (Burnley, Vic.: Plant Research Institute, 1976), 53 pp. Details
• Cumming, D. A,; Moulds, A.; Wrigley, L. J., A bibliography of Australian engineering history and heritage, prepared from the database ENGINE (Barton, Australian Capital Territory: Institution of Engineers, Australia, 1991), 74 pp. Details
• Daniels, G., Bibliography of Australian entomology 1687-2000, 2 vols (Mt Ommaney, Qld: The Author, 2004). Details
• Davies, Mel, Bibliography of the mining history of Australia, New Zealand & Papua New Guinea (Nedlands: Dept. of Economics, University of Western Australia, 2002), 321 pp. Details
• Ford, Edward, Bibliography of Australian medicine, 1790 - 1900 (Sydney: Sydney University Press, 1976), 348 pp. Details
• Gandevia, B. H., An Annotated Bibliography of the History of Medicine in Australia (Sydney: Australasian Medical Publishing Co, 1957), 139 pp. Details
• Gandevia, Bryan; Holster, Alison and Simpson, Sheila, An Annotated Bibliography of the History of Medicine and Health in Australia (Sydney: The Royal Australasia College of Physicians, 1984), 187 pp. Details
• Home, R. W.; and Needham, Paula J., Physics in Australia to 1945: Bibliography and Biographical Register (Melbourne: Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Melbourne/National Centre for Research, 1990), 241 pp. Details
• Kloot, Tess, Whittell (1618-1950) supplemented: additions and emendations to H. M. Whittell's "The literature of Australian birds" (Nunawading, Vic.: Bird Observers Club of Australia, 1995), 115 pp. Details
• Knight, Russell W., Australian Antarctic bibliography (Hobart: University of Tasmania, Institute for Antarctic ansd Southern Ocean Studies, 1987), 460 pp. Details
• Lord, Gillian, A bibliography of ornithology in Tasmania, 1950-1987 (Hobart: G. Lord, 1988), 47 pp. Details
• Maiden, J. H., A bibliography of Australian economic botany, part 1 (Sydney: Government Printer, 1892), 61 pp. Details
• Mathews, G. M., The birds of Australia: bibliography of the birds of Australia: books used in the preparation of this work with a few biographical details of authors and collectors (London: H. F. & G. Witherby, 1925), 149 pp. Details
• Moodie, P.; and Pedersen, E. B., The health of Australian Aborigines: an annotated bibliography with classifications by subject matter and locality (Sydney: School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, University of Sydney, 1966), 129 pp. Details
• Moulds, M. S., Bibliography of the Australian butterflies : (Lepidoptera: Hesperioidea and Papilionoidea), 1773-1973 (Greenwich, N.S.W.: Australian Entomological Press, 1977), 239 pp. Details
• Moyal, Ann Mozley, Science, technology and society in Australia: a bibliography (Brisbane: Science Policy Research Centre, School of Science, Griffith University, 1978), 74 pp. Details
• Musgrave, A., Bibliography of Australian entomology, 1775-1930: with biographical notes on authors and collectors (Sydney: Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales, 1932), 380 pp. Details
• Neboiss, Arturs, Checklist and bibliography of the Australian caddis-flies (Trichoptera) (Abbotsford, Vic.: National Museum of Victoria, Department of Entomology, 1977), 132 pp. Details
• Pickett, John W., Fossil corals of Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea and Antarctica: bibliography and index (Canberra: Association of Australasian Palaeontologists, 2010), 189 pp. Details
• Plomley, N. J. B., An annotated bibliography of the Tasmanian Aborigines (London: Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, 1969), 143 pp. Details
• Polach, Dilette, First 20 Years of Radiocarbon Dating: an annotated bibliography, 1948-68 (Pilot Study) (Canberra: Radiocarbon Dating Research Laboratory, Australian National University, 1980). Details
• Polya, Rosemary, Nineteenth century plant nursery catalogues of south-east Australia : a bibliography (Bundoora, Victoria: La Trobe University Library, 1981). Details
• Quay, Denise E.; assisted by Marilyn Lenton, A bibliography of Australian Aborigines : being a union list of monographs and other materials held by the libraries of James Cook University of North Queensland and Townsville College of Advanced Education as at March, 1977 (Townsville, Qld: James Cook University of North Queensland, 1977), 103 pp. Details
• Sagona, Claudia, An annotated bibliography of the Tasmanian Aborigines, 1970 - 1987 ([Melbourne]: Art School Press, Chisholm Institute of Technology, 1989), 290 pp. Details
• Sauer, Gordon C., John Gould, the Bird Man: a Chronology and Bibliography (Melbourne: Lansdowne Editions, 1982). Details
• Teesdale-Smith, N., Bibliography of South Australian geology (Adelaide: Geological Survey of South Australia, 1959), 235 pp. Details
• Whittell, H. M., The Literature of Australian Birds: a History and a Bibliography of Australian Ornithology (Perth: Patterson Brokensha, 1954), 140 pp. Details
• Wilson, Gwen, Bibliography of references to anaesthesia in Australian medical journals, 1846 - 1962 (Melbourne: Faculty of Anaesthetists, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, 1988), 481 pp. Details

Edited Books

• Gandevia, B. ed., Bibiliography of Australian Medicine & Health Services to 1950, 4 vols (Canberra: A.G.P.S., 1988). Details

Journal Articles

• 'Australian Higher Degree Research Theses [1955 - 1965]', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 38 (3) (1966), N29-N36. Details
• 'Bibliography on dams in Australia 1858 - 1969', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 42 (10-11) (1970), N97-N108. Details
• Benson, William Noel, 'Notes on the geology of the Cradle Mountain district, with a bibliography of the Pleistocene glaciation of Tasmania', Papers and proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania, 1916 (1917), 29-43. Details
• Burman, R., 'Early Australian Solar Radio Astronomy: a Bibliography of the First Three Years', Proceedings of the Astronomical Society of Australia, 4 (1) (1991), 1-9. Details
• Carlson, L., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. [1]', Historical Records of Australian Science, 5 (2) (1981), 131-5, https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9810520131. Details
• Carlson, L., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. [2]', Historical Records of Australian Science, 5 (3) (1982), 126-31, https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9820530126. Details
• Carlson, L., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 3, 1982', Historical Records of Australian Science, 5 (4) (1983), 121-6. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9830540121. Details
• Carlson, L., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 4, 1983', Historical Records of Australian Science, 6 (1) (1984), 97-107. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9840610097. Details
• Carlson, L., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 5, 1984', Historical Records of Australian Science, 6 (2) (1985), 319-30. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9850620319. Details
• Carlson, L., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 6, 1985', Historical Records of Australian Science, 6 (3) (1986), 451-68. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9860630451. Details
• Carlson, L., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 7, 1986', Historical Records of Australian Science, 7 (1) (1987), 141-52. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9870710141. Details
• Carlson, L., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 8, 1987/8', Historical Records of Australian Science, 7 (3) (1988), 359-71. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9880730359. Details
• Carlson, L., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 9, 1988', Historical Records of Australian Science, 7 (4) (1989), 437-46. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9890740437. Details
• Carlson, L., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 10, 1989', Historical Records of Australian Science, 8 (2) (1990), 107-17, https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9900820107. Details
• Carlson, L., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 11, 1990', Historical Records of Australian Science, 8 (4) (1991), 289-99. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9910840289. Details
• Carlson, L., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 12, 1991', Historical Records of Australian Science, 9 (2) (1992), 205-22. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9920920205. Details
• Carlson, L., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 13, 1992', Historical Records of Australian Science, 9 (3) (1993), 307-16, https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9930930307. Details
• Carlson, L., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 14, 1993', Historical Records of Australian Science, 10 (1) (1994), 95-108, https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9941010095. Details
• Carlson, L., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 15, 1994', Historical Records of Australian Science, 10 (3) (1995), 307-22. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9951030307. Details
• Carlson, L., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 16, 1995', Historical Records of Australian Science, 11 (1) (1996), 83-99, https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9961110083. Details
• Carlson, L., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 17, 1996', Historical Records of Australian Science, 11 (4) (1997), 587-97. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9971140587. Details
• Carlson, L., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 18, 1997', Historical Records of Australian Science, 12 (1) (1998), 135-47. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9981210135. Details
• Carlson, L., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 19, 1998', Historical Records of Australian Science, 12 (3) (1999), 401-9. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9991230401. Details
• Carlson, L., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 20, 1999', Historical Records of Australian Science, 13 (1) (2000), 109-16. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR0001310109. Details
• Carlson, L., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 21, 2000', Historical Records of Australian Science, 13 (3) (2001), 369-81, https://doi.org/10.1071/HR0011330369. Details
• Carlson, L., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 22, 2001', Historical Records of Australian Science, 14 (1) (2002), 119-28. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR02007. Details
• Cohen, Graeme L., 'A bibliography of Australian mathematics to 1960 with observations relating to the history of Australian mathematics', Historical Records of Australian Science, 31 (1) (2020), 17-25. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR19008. Details
• Cohn, Helen M., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 28, 2007', Historical Records of Australian Science, 19 (1) (2008), 115-24, https://doi.org/10.1071/HR08005. Details
• Cohn, Helen M., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 29, 2008', Historical Records of Australian Science, 20 (1) (2009), 147-162 , https://doi.org/10.1071/HR09008. Details
• Cohn, Helen M., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 30, 2009', Historical Records of Australian Science, 21 (1) (2010), 119-31, https://doi.org/10.1071/HR10006. Details
• Cohn, Helen M., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 31, 2010', Historical Records of Australian Science, 22 (1) (2011), 188-98, https://doi.org/10.1071/HR11006. Details
• Cohn, Helen M., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 32, 2011', Historical Records of Australian Science, 23 (1) (2012), 90-106, https://doi.org/10.1071/HR12005. Details
• Cohn, Helen M., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 33, 2012', Historical Records of Australian Science, 24 (1) (2013), 174-88, https://doi.org/10.1071/HR12023. Details
• Cohn, Helen M., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 34, 2013', Historical Records of Australian Science, 25 (1) (2014), 123-41, https://doi.org/10.1071/HR14010. Details
• Cohn, Helen M., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 35, 2014', Historical Records of Australian Science, 26 (1) (2015), iii-lii. https://doi.org/10.1071/HRv26n1_bib. Details
• Cohn, Helen M., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 36, 2015', Historical Records of Australian Science, 27 (supp.) (2016), 1-32, https://doi.org/10.1071/HRv27n1_bib. Details
• Cohn, Helen M., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 37, 2016', Historical Records of Australian Science, 28 (1) (2017), 76-89, https://doi.org/10.1071/HR17902. Details
• Cohn, Helen M., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 38, 2017', Historical Records of Australian Science, 29 (1) (2018), 61-71. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR18902. Details
• Cohn, Helen M., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 39, 2017/8', Historical Records of Australian Science, 30 (1) (2019), 66-81. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR19901. Details
• Cohn, Helen M., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 40, 2018/9', Historical Records of Australian Science, 31 (1) (2020), 71-86. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR20901. Details
• Cohn, Helen M., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 41, 2019/20', Historical Records of Australian Science, 32 (2) (2021), 109-23. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR21901. Details
• Cohn, Helen M., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 42, 2020/21', Historical Records of Australian Science, 33 (1) (2022), 78-95. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR22901. Details
• Cohn, Helen M., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 43, 2021/22', Historical Records of Australian Science, 34 (1) (2023), 80-107, https://doi.org/10.1071/HR22016. Details
• Cohn, Helen M., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 44, 2022/23', Historical records of Australian science, 35 (1) (2024), 64-82. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR23026. Details
• Cohn, Helen M., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 45, 2023/24', Historical Records of Australian Science, 36 (2025), 1-17, https://doi.org/10/1071/HR24026. Details
• Cohn, Helen M., 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 46, 2024/25', Historical Records of Australian Science, 37 (1) (2026), 17. https://10.1071/HR2604. Details
• Cooper, M. G., 'A bibliography of articles on the history of anaesthesia and medicine in Anaesthesia and intensive care 1972 - 2005', Anaesthesia and intensive care, 35 (2007), 37-45. https://doi.org/10.1177/0310057X0703501s07. Details
• Hill, D.; and Willadsen, C., 'Bibliography of Australian geological serials and other Australian periodicals that include geological papers', Papers of the Department of Geology, University of Queensland, 9 (3) (1980), 1-76. Details
• Horacek, John, 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 23, 2002', Historical Records of Australian Science, 14 (3) (2003), 389-401. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR03003. Details
• Horacek, John, 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 24, 2003', Historical Records of Australian Science, 15 (1) (2004), 139-48. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR04003. Details
• Horacek, John, 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 25, 2004', Historical Records of Australian Science, 16 (1) (2005), 127-37. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR05005. Details
• Horacek, John, 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 26, 2005', Historical Records of Australian Science, 17 (1) (2006), 131-45. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR06002. Details
• Horacek, John, 'Bibliography of the history of Australian science, no. 27, 2006', Historical Records of Australian Science, 18 (1) (2007), 147-157. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR07003. Details
• Kitching, R. L.; and Edwards, E. D., 'Books about Australian moths 1805-2020: an annotated bibliography', Australian entomologist, 47 (3) (2020), 119-54. Details
• Maiden, J. H., 'Bibliography of the Chemistry of Indigenous Australian Vegetable Products', Report of the first meeting of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science, 1 (1889), 183-193, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/15813271. Details
• Marymor, Leigh, 'Australian rock art bibliography extracted for the Rock Art Studies Bibliographic Database for the years 1841 to 2018 - part 2', Rock art research, 36 (1) (2019), 49-93. Details
• Marymor, Leigh, 'Australian rock art bibliography extracted for the Rock Art Studies Bibliographic Database for the years 1841 to 2018 - part 1', Rock art research, 35 (2) (2019), 188-248. Details
• Mozley, Ann, 'A check list of publications on the history of Australian science', Australian Journal of Science, 25 (1962), 206-14. Details
• Mozley, Ann, 'Supplement of a check list of publications on the history of Australian science', Australian Journal of Science, 27 (1964), 8-15. Details
• Simpson, Sheila; and Tovell, Ann, 'A bibliography of Australian paediatrics 1846 - 1900: part II : 1880-1900', Australian paediatric journal, 14 (95-101) (1978), https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1754.1978.tb02957.x. Details
• Simpson, Sheila; Tovell, Ann; and Gandevia, Bryan, 'A bibliography of Australian paediatrics 1846 - 1900', Australian paediatric journal, 14 (1) (1978), 21-7. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1754.1978.tb02934.x. Details
• Simpson, Sheila; Tovell, Ann; and Gandevia, Bryan, 'A bibliography of Australian paediatrics 1846 - 1900, part III', Australian paediatric journal, 15 (1) (1979), 20-32. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1754.1979.tb01178.x. Details
• Tull, Malcolm, 'Bibliography of university theses on Australian maritime history', International journal of maritime history, 8 (1) (1996), 199-246. https://doi.org/10.1177/084387149600800112. Details
• Wesson, Jane P., 'A first bibliography of historical archaeology in Australia', Australian journal of historical archaeology, 1 (1983), 22-34. Details
• Wesson, Jane P., 'A first bibliography of historical archaeology in Australia continued', Australian journal of historical archaeology, 2 (1984), 13-6. Details
• White, J. Peter, 'Theses about prehistoric archaeology and associated disciplines in Australia, 1975 - 1993', Archaeology in Oceania, 29 (2) (1994), 95-106. https://doi.org/10.1002/arco.1994.29.2.95. Details

Resources

• Carlson, Laurie; Evans, Joanne; McCarthy, Gavan; Sherratt, Tim; et al, History of Australian Science and Technology Bibliography, Bright Sparcs, 2007 edn, Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, ASAPWeb, Melbourne, 1995-2007. http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/bib_home.htm. Details