In October 1911 newspapers in Sydney and Melbourne carried reviews of The Bush Boy’s Book (from hereon Bush Boy’s) by Donald Macdonald.
Under this title Mr. Donald Macdonald, the well-known member of the Argus literary staff, has issued a handbook of very practical value in all matters relating to Australian bush craft … The handbook is the sort of publication that everyone should have in his pocket on setting out for an excursion into the bush, or to the seaside …
The book is compiled mainly for boys, and consequently is plain and simple in form, but it does not alter the fact that the adult can learn just as much from its letterpress and many diagrams as can the juvenile enthusiast. The book is indeed a manual for camping in the bush covering everything from how to choose a site to dealing with snakes.