Spencer & Gillen

A journey through Aboriginal Australia

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Bibliography of the Spencer and Gillen collaboration

The Spencer and Gillen publication period spans seventeen years and involves not only anthropological but biological research. Gillen first published a wordlist of Lower Arrernte spoken at Charlotte Waters in 1886 and after an initial period of Intensive documentation of the Arrernte people in during the summer of 1896/7 and regular correspondence between Melbourne and Alice Springs the two men went on to publish numerous articles and books in the field of anthropology. After Gillen's death in 1912 Spencer continued to acknowledge Gillen as co-author on a number of books concerning Central Australian anthropology.

  • Gillen, F.J. (1886) Charlotte Waters Telegraph Station [wordlist]. in Curr, E.M. The Australian Race: it's origins, languages, customs, place of landing in Australia and the routes by which it spread itself over the continent.
  • Spencer, W.B. (ed) (1896) Report on the Work of the Horn Scientific Expedition to Central Australia. Four Volumes. London: Dulau and Co.
  • Gillen, F.J. (1896) Notes on some manners and customs of the Aborigines of the McDonnell Ranges belonging to the Arunta tribe. In Spencer, W.B., (ed) (1896) Report on the Work of the Horn Scientific Expedition to Central Australia. Volume 4 [Anthropology]. London: Dulau and Co.
  • Spencer, W.B. & Gillen, F.J. (1897) The Engwura. Nature 56:136-9
  • Spencer, Baldwin, & Gillen, F. J. (1897) An account of the Engwurra or fire ceremony of certain Central Australian tribes. Royal Society of Victoria, Carlton.
  • Spencer, W.B. & Gillen, F.J. (1897) Notes on certain initiation rotes of the Arunta tribe. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria: 10:142-74
  • Spencer, W.B. & Gillen, F.J. (1898) Some Aboriginal Ceremonies. Journal of the Anthropological Institute, 27:131-5
  • Spencer, W.B. & Gillen, F.J. (1899) Some Remarks on Totemism as Applied to Australian tribes. Journal of the Anthropological Institute, 28:275-80
  • Spencer, W.B. & Gillen, F.J. (1899) The Native Tribes of Central Australia. London: Macmillan.
  • Gillen, F. J. (1901) Magic amongst the natives of Central Australia: a paper read before the above association. Australian Association for the Advancement of Science, Melbourne.
  • Gillen, F.J. (1901) The Natives Tribes of Central Australia. Proc. Roy. Geog. Soc. Of Australasia SA branch, 4, p.17-28
  • Spencer, W.B. & Gillen, F.J. (1904) The Northern Tribes of Central Australia. London: Macmillan.
  • Spencer, W.B. & Gillen, F.J. (1912) Across Australia. (vols I and II) London: Macmillan.
  • Spencer, W.B. (1912) An introduction to the study of certain native tribes of the Northern Territory. Dept. of External Affairs, Melbourne.
  • Spencer, W.B. (1913) Preliminary report on the Aboriginals of the Northern Territory. Dept. of External Affairs, Melbourne.
  • Spencer, W.B. (1914) Native Tribes of the Northern Territory of Australia. London: Macmillan
  • Spencer, W.B. (1914) The Aboriginals of Australia, Brit. Ass. Adv, Sci. Federal Handbook on Australia, 1914, 76-79.
  • Spencer, W.B. (1914) Aboriginals of Australia, in Knibbs, G.H. Federal Handbook on Australia, 1914, 33-85.
  • Spencer, W.B. (1915) Guide to the Australian ethnological collection exhibited in the National Museum of Victoria. Melbourne: Public Library, Museums and National Gallery of Victoria.
  • Spencer, Baldwin (1921) Presidential address by Baldwin Spencer. Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science Meeting 1921. Melbourne.
  • Spencer, Baldwin, & Royal Society of Victoria. (1921) Blood and shade divisions of Australian tribes. Royal Society of Victoria, Melbourne.
  • Spencer, W.B. & Gillen, F.J. (1927) The Arunta. (vols I and II) London: Macmillan.
  • Spencer, W.B. (1928) Wanderings in Wild Australia. London: Macmillan.
  • Spencer, W.B. (1948) The Ancestors Walk: The Arunta of Central Australia, in coon, Carelton, S. A Reader in General Anthropology. 214-236
  • Gillen, F.J. (1968) Gillen’s Diary: the Camp Jottings of FJ Gillen on the Spencer and Gillen Expedition across Australia 1901-02. Adelaide: Libraries Board of SA.
  • Gillen, F. J. & Gillen, Robert S. (1995) F.J. Gillen's first diary 1875: Adelaide to Alice Springs, March to June. Edited by Robert S. Gillen. Kent Town: Wakefield Press.

Published Letters and Photographs

  • Mulvaney, J, Morphy, H. & Petch, A (eds) (1997) ‘My Dear Spencer’: the letters of F.J. Gillen to Baldwin Spencer. Melbourne: Hyland House.
  • Byrne, P., Spencer, W.B & Cowle, C.E., (2000) From the Frontier: outback letters to Baldwin Spencer compiled by John Mulvaney with Alison Petch and Howard Morphy. St. Leonards: Allen & Unwin.
  • Batty, P., Allen, L., & Morton, J. (2007) The Photographs of Baldwin Spencer. Melbourne: Miegunyah Press.