Just Tassie Books

The complete diary of the Reverend Robert Knopwood — the first chaplain of Van Diemen's Land, who arrived with the founding party of European settlers in 1803 and remained in the colony until his death in 1838. Knopwood kept a diary continuously from the moment of his arrival until near the end of his life — 35 years of daily observation.

Steven Smith's 1980 investigation into the status of the thylacine — commissioned by the Tasmanian National Parks and Wildlife Service and published as Wildlife Division Technical Report 81/1 in May 1981. This report was produced just five years before the thylacine was officially declared extinct in 1986, at a time when debate about whether any animals might survive was still active.

The 1931 Tasmanian Cyclopedia — an historical, industrial and commercial review of Tasmania at that date, including hundreds of biographical entries on the people of Tasmania and thousands of illustrations. Cyclopedias of this kind were produced for most Australian states in the early 20th century and are among the most useful primary sources for Tasmanian family and local history research — documenting not just prominent figures but ordinary citizens, businesses, towns and industries at a specific moment in time.

The centenary history of the Emu Bay Railway Company in Tasmania, written by Lou Rae and published in a second edition in 1997. The Emu Bay Railway was a privately owned line running from Burnie on the north-west coast into the mineral-rich hinterland of western Tasmania — connecting the mining towns of Zeehan, Rosebery and Queenstown to the coast.