Walking into Sydney’s iconic Abbey’s Bookshop, I noticed a prominent display of books devoted to the campaign to recognise Indigenous peoples in the Australian Constitution. Some of the books were new to me; all were written with great care and doubtless published for the moment. Marcia Langton’s The Welcome to Country Handbook: A guide to Indigenous Australia wasn’t among them, perhaps because of its newness, perhaps because it transcends the moment, its title signposting a broader remit. Langton’s wide-ranging knowledge, irrepressible curiosity, and longstanding engagement with culture, education, and politics bring a breadth to the work that few others could offer.

The Welcome to Country Handbook will serve the general reader; it would also be at home in senior secondary, as well as higher education curricula. Its numerous examples of Indigenous peoples’ heritage and lived cultures also make it relevant for workplace cultural awareness training courses. I can imagine many workplaces finding distinct chapters and case studies relevant to their professional learning programs. When seeking the Handbook, it will be useful for the reader to know that there are other Langton/Hardie Grant titles with Welcome to Country as lead title (2018, 2019, 2021).