Pictorial History Southern Highlands by well-known local author Linda Emery covers the history of the shire from Aboriginal settlement to modern times. Each township and locality is recorded in words and black and white photographs. The two editions of the book in soft and in hardback have 200 black and white photographs, many never before published. The books are a delightful record of early pioneering from the 1800s onwards. It is a lovely nostalgic book full of romantic images and a history of one of New South Wales¿ most popular tourist destinations. The early expansion out from Sydney led settlers into the wilds of the Southern Highlands where promise of fertile soil drew famous colonials to build houses of significance, many of which still stand today. Lieutenant John Oxley and Charles Throsby are two important men in the shaping of the district. The name Southern Highlands reflects the influence of Scots and of a Methodist culture. It was a governors¿ residence and also home to many quarries mining shale, iron ore and coal. Communities grew around mines and unique villages such as Joadja still survive in heritage form. Cattle, farming, horse breeding, dairying, horticulture were all made viable by the early construction of a rail line which opened the area to tourists and transport of goods and made it a uniquely rich district close to Sydney. The book includes a chronology and an index.